BLOODY  VEND 


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EMBRACING  THE  EARLY  HISI'ORY 
WILLIAMSON  COUNTY 
ILLINOIS 


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OF   THL 

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Of    ILLINOIS 

A  Bequest  from 
Marion  D.  Pratt 

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HISTORY 

OF 

WILLIAMSON   COUNTY 

ILLINOIS 

From  the  Earliest  Times,   Down  to  the  Present, 
1876 


With   An  Accurate  Account  of  the  Secession  Movement, 
Ordinances,  Raids,  Etc.,  Also,  a  Complete  History  of 
Its  "Bloody  Vendetta,"  Including  All  Its  Re- 
condite Causes,  Results,  Etc.,  Etc., 


-BY— 

M  IL  O     E  R  WI  N 

Attorney  at  Law 


Mine  be  the  friend,  less  frequent  in  his  prayers, 
■Who   makes  no  bustle  with  his  soul's  affairs, 
Whose  wit  can  brighten  up  a  wintry  day, 
And  chase  the  splenetic  dull  hours  away." 


MARION,  ILLINOIS 
1876 


39665 


Copyrighted  1914  by 

THE  HERRIN  NEWS 

HERRIN,  ILL. 


\(^\^  XU^Y^o.^     \A4sWm     "iu-xv/tv^ 


BY  WAY  OF   EXPLANATION. 

"Not  to  know  what  happened  before 
we  were  born  is  to  remain  always  a  child; 
for  what  were  the  life  of  man  did    we    not 
combine   present   events   with   the  recollec- 
tions of  past  ages?"  This,  said  Cicero  many 
ages  ago.     No  community  is  without  a  his- 
tory, and,  few,  it  will  be  agreed  by  those  of 
you  fortunate  enough  to  peruse     the     fol- 
lowing pages,  have  to  offer  such  an  interest- 
ing history  as  this  one  written  now  nearly! 
forty  years  ago  of  Williamson  county.     Its 
author,  Milo  Erwin,  was,  in  his  time,     one 
of  the  county's  most  eminent  lawyers.  Many 
stories  are  told  about  the  excitement     the, 
publication  of  this  book  caused.  It  is  now. 
republished  for  the  first  time,  and  with  no 
other  intention  whatsoever  than  to  enlighten 
the  present  generation  of     the     turbulent 
-  period  through  which  this  community  has 
._   passed.     In  behalf  of  the  well  known  fami- 
--    lies  connected  with  the     terrible     vendetta 
Lk^  which   is   here  related    it    should    be  said 
that  they  are  now  among  the  best  families 
in  the  community  and  some  of  the  persons 
^^  named  are  counted  at  present,  good  citizens 
^■'  who  have  lived  down  all  odium  that  once  at- 
tached to  their  names.     The  fact  that  the^e 
>jlJtias  in  recent  years  been  a  great  demand  for 
copies  of  this  rare  work     of     which     now 


probably  less  than  half  a  dozen  copies  arei' 
i:i  existence  has  led  us  to  republish  it.  With- 
out claiming  any     credit    whatever    except 
that  of  preserving  in  a  new  edition  this  val- 
uable portion  of  our  county's  interesting  his- 
tory, we  have  here  reproduced     the     book 
practically  word  for  work  just  as  its  autlior 
wrote  it,  even  following  as  far  as  practical, 
the  general  make  up  and     style     of    typo- 
graphy.    It  is  a  piece  of  writing  well  done 
and  as   Charles  Dickens  would  say,      "our 
unhallowed  hands  shall  not  disturb  it," 
Hal  W.  Trovillion, 
Editor  of  The  News, 
December  1st,  1914.  Herrin,  Illinois. 


TO 

^VILLIAM  WALLACE  CLEMENS 

MY    FRIEND, 

BECAUSE  THE  FRIEND  OF  MY  COUNTRY 

THIS   VOLUME 

IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED, 

AS  A  SLIGHT  MEMENTO  OF  THE  EVER-INCREASING 

REGARD  I  HAVE  FOR  HIS   PUBLIC   SPIRIT, 

PRIVATE  VIRTUES,  AND  SOLID 

LEGAL  ATTAINMENTS 

THE  AUTHOR. 


Prefatory  Address  to  the  Young  Men 
of  Williamson  County. 


Gentlemen  : 

I  have  now  written  you  a  history  of  your 
own  county,  to  show  you  the  advantages  of 
civilization,  and  to  give  you  contentment.  It 
is  a  "home-spun"  book  written  by  a  "home- 
spun" author. 

The  state  of  society  which  I  have  depict- 
ed is  fast  fading  from  the  memory  of  men, 
and  will  soon  live  only  in  history.  You  come 
upon  the  scenes  of  life  at  an  eventful  and 
glorious  age  of  the  world,  when  the  oppor- 
tunities for  individual  progress  are  so  hope- 
ful. We  are  the  citizens  of  a  common  country, 
and  share  an  undivided  interest  in  her  weal 
or  woe;  and  it  may  be  well  for  us  to  look 
Ijack  to  the  past,  on  the  bright  side  of  mis- 
fortune; but  we  must  trust  to  the  future, 
"Though  gloomy  and  cheerless. 
Prowls  the  dark  past  like  a  ghost  at  our 
back." 

We  have  lived  in  the  shadow  of  the  gray 
hairs  of  our  fathers.  They  have  battled 
long  and  well  to  give  us  a  country  to  live  in, 
and  we  are  the  rich  inheritors  of  all  the 
glorious  results  of  their  self-denial  and  pa- 
triotic devotion.  Let  us  prove  ourselves  wor- 
thy of  the  high  destiny  for  which  they  offer- 
ed themselves  a  sacrifice  to  common  dangers 


XII  PREFATORY  ADDRESS. 

and  privations,  by  living  lionorable  lives, 
and  showing  to  the  world  that  with  affec- 
tion we  cherish  their  acts  and  hallow  their 
memories. 

They  have  lived  to  see  the  forest  con- 
verted into  farms,  and  have  nobly  done  their 
part,  settling  the  country  and  serving  it  in 
military  and  civil  capacities.  They  have  left 
us  a  great  country,  and  now  the  duty  of  de- 
fense and  preservation  rests  on  us.  As  a 
slight  repayment  for  the  liberty  we  enjoy, 
let  us  ever  stand  ready  to  bear  arms  in  de- 
fense of  this  grand  country,  in  which  v,'e 
have  the  hapiness  to  live,  against  external 
and  internal  foes. 

The  hope  of  the  country  is  in  its  young 
men ;  and  the  hope  of  the  young  men  is  in  the 
strength  of  their  integrity.  Live  temper- 
ately, deal  justily,  and  respond  in  every  act 
to  the  demands  of  conscience,  and  you  will 
have  an  even  chance  in  the  human  race  for 
worldly  prosperity  and  recognition. 

You  owe  the  duty  of  education  and  moral 
culture  to  yourselves;  to  your  neighbors  fair 
dealing  and  generosity.  Our  best  friends 
are  at  home,  those  who  would  do  most  for 
us.  They  dwell  by  our  sides,  and  if  they  are 
our  best  friends  we  should  be  theirs;  and 
if  we  are  we  should  show  it,  for  in  this  lies 
the  power  of  friendship  to  bless  or  curse  us. 
These  cords  of  friendship  should  be  treated 
delicately,  and  never  be  broken  by  fretful, 
surly  and  hateful  means.  Let  it  be  your 
constant  object  to  strengthen,  build  up  and 
inprove  home  folks,  for  this  is  the  source  of 
our  sweetest  pleasures  and  best  life.    Into 


PREFATORY  ADDRESS.  XIII 

this  fountain  let  no  bitter  dregs  of  poison 
drop.  Keep  it  clear  and  pure.  The  miseries 
of  broken  friendships  plead  with  you  to 
preserve  a  high  respect  for  your  neighbors 
at  all  price.  Be  true  to  them  if  you  are  false 
to  all  else  on  earth  beside.  In  this  view  t):e 
growth  of  our  country  becomes  sublime  and 
of  surpassing  interest. 

While  other  countries  have  their  tradi- 
tions to  excite  them  to  patriotism,  we  have 
the  inspiration  coming  from  the  names  of 
illustrious  men  to  summon  us  to  great  trials 
and  duties. 

There  is  no  reason  why  a  community  of 
as  intelligent,  honest  and  industrious  a  peo- 
ple as  ours,  should  not  live  in  peace  and 
plenty.  We  must  learn  to  denounce  crime 
and  punish  criminals,  and  not  stand  ready 
to  applaud  them.  Our  criminals  must  lay 
down  their  arms,  for  there  never  can  be 
peace  as  long  as  thej-  sleep  on  them.  The  law 
rn.ist  be  enforced;  williou.t  this,  life  will  be 
unsafe  and  property  invaded.  Youiig  men, 
help  build  up  a  hea'thy  pu})]?c  sentiment 
agf'inst  crime. 

I  retain  as  much  affection  for  my  mother 
c(»untry  as  a  common  origin  inspires;  yet 
I  feel  a  painful  revulsion  when  making  a 
comparison  between  this  county  and  some 
others  in  this  state.  And  I  appeal  to  you  by 
every  bond  that  will  bind  a  good  man  to 
his  social  duty,  by  every  consideration  that 
will  awaken  a  love  of  county  or  stir  your 
pride  of  race,  to  live  true  to  the  highest, 
purest  and  most  lasting  interest  of  your 
county. 


XIV  PREFATORY  ADDRESS. 

In  writinj?  this  book  I  proposed  to  my- 
self, as  a  maxim,  that  no  man  should  be  able 
from  its  pages  to  tell  what  political  party  I 
belong  to ;  so  impartially  have  I  tried  to  write 
it.  And  I  hope  I  will  not  assume  the  impu- 
tation of  vanity  when  I  say  I  believe  I  have 
done  so.  And  if  I  have  written  a  thought  or 
expression  calculated  to  sting  the  pride  or 
wound  the  heart  of  any  honest  man,  I  stand 
in  the  way  of  his  indulgence,  for  I  have  not 
intended  to.  No  historical  work  has  ever 
been  written,  or  ever  will  be,  but  that  some 
defects  can  be  found  in  it,  especially  dealing 
with  events  so  recent  as  our  Vendetta  must 
the  historian  lay  himself  open  to  these  stric- 
tures. I  have  aimed  to  give  as  full  and  fair 
account  of  our  history,  with  the  more  recon- 
dite causes  of  Vendetta,  as  I  was  able.  I 
was  so  happy  as  not  to  displease  my  friends 
v^'ith  my  first  attempts  at  writing,  but  I  dare 
net  raise  my  hopes  so  high  now.  I  know 
that  many  irate  and  insulting  critics  will 
bugle  about  this  book,  and  say  that  my  learn- 
ing is  easily  gleaned.  I  will  admit  that,  and 
ask  them  to  follow  my  example.  The  choice 
of  subjects  is  not  at  my  discreation,  f,o  that 
tlie  grace  and  style  of  my  composition  is 
not  such  as  I  could  wish.  As  I  have  not  un- 
dertaken to  invent  facts,  of  course  I  had  to 
draw  from  many  sources,  especially  our 
old  men  and  the  members  of  the  Vendetha. 
And  I  have  tried  to  eliminate  from  the  mass 
of  facts  such  as  would  be  most  interesting  to 
read  and  remember.  I  do  not  want  ro  be  ac- 
cused of  supposing  that  all  heroism,  human- 
ity, generosity  and  chivalry  is  in  this  county, 


PREFATORY  ADDRESS.  XV 

and  that  all  cruelty,  rapacity,  cowardice  and 
ferocity  is  among  our  neighbors.  I  believe 
it  to  be  true,  and  shall  try  to  show  that  while 
our  Vendetta  has  been  signalized  by  ^ome 
deeds  disgraceful  to  human  nature,  the  vyen- 
eral  behavior  of  our  people  has  been  such 
as  would  do  honor  to  mankind,  and  exalt  the 
prestige  of  our  name. 

That  Liberty,  Progress,  Knowledge,  Vir- 
tue and  Peace  may  be  the  lot  and  destiny  of 
our  people,  is  as  much  the  fervent  aspiration 
as  it  is  the  consoling  faith  of 

MILO  ERWIN. 
Marion,  111.,  December  1st,  1876. 


THE  HISTORY 

—OF— 

WILLIAMSON    COUNTY 

ILLINOIS. 


OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

In  1512,  Juan  Ponce  de  Leon  discovered 
Florida,  and  the  whole  of  our  country  was 
claimed  by  Spain,  by  virtue  of  this  discov- 
ery, under  the  name  Florida.  The  earliest 
settlement  was  made  in  Illinois  in  1680,  and 
two  years  afterward,  the  Mississippi  having 
been  discovered  by  DeSoto,  the  Frencn  took 
formal  possession  of  the  valley  of  the  Mi'-;- 
sissippi,  and  in  honor  of  Louis,  King  of 
France,  named  in  Louisiana.  Soon  after  that 
event  this  country  began  to  be  called  the  Illi- 
nois country,  after  a  powerful  tribe  of  In- 
dians by  that  name.  In  1763,  by  a  treaty  be- 
tween England  and  France,  this  country  be- 
came an  English  province,  and  remained  as 
such  until  it  was  surrendered  to  the  United 
States  by  the  John  Jay  treaty  in  1796. 
-F  2 


2  THE   HISTORY   OP 

After  the  formal  surrender  of  the  North- 
west Territory  to  the  United  States,  it  was 
divided  into  five  counties.  The  portion  of 
the  Territory  in  which  WilHamson  county 
is  embraced  belonged  to  St.  Clair  county, 
with  Kaskaskia  as  the  county  seat,  in  which 
condition  it  remained  until  1809,  when  Illi- 
nois was  organized  into  a  Territory  proper. 
Congress  appointed  a  Governor  over  this 
Territory  who,  in  order  to  execute  the  laws, 
was  authorized  to  lay  out  the  Territory 
into  counties,  which  he  did ;  and  this  portion 
of  the  Territory  which  had  hitherto  been  part 
of  St.  Clair  county,  now  fell  into  Gallatin 
county,  where  it  belonged  until  Illinois  was 
admitted  into  the  Union  in  1818,  and 
Franklin  county  was  taken  off  the  west  side 
of  Gallatin.  In  1839,  Franklin  county  was 
divided  by  act  of  the  Legislature,  and  the 
southern  half  called  Williamson  county. 
Under  the  Territorial  government  the  Gov- 
ernor appointed  the  magistrates  and  other 
officers,  and  they  had  to  be  freeholders;  but 
since  the  admission  of  the  State  they  have 
all  been  elected,  and  property  qualification 
abolished. 

Williamson  county  is  twenty-four  miles 
long  from  east  to  west,  and  eighteen  from 
north  to  south.  It  contains  432  square  miles, 
and  276,480  acres  of  land.    At  present  it  is 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  3 

divided  into  twelve  townships  and  fifteen 
voting  precincts.  The  surface  of  the  county 
is  level,  with  the  exception  of  some  rough 
land  along  its  south  side.  It  is  traversed  by 
a  copious  supply  of  large  streams  and  their 
tributaries.  The  Saline  and  Crab  Orchard 
run  the  whole  length  through  the  south  side, 
and  Big  Muddy  River  cuts  deeply  into  the 
northwest  corner,  while  Pond  and  Lake 
Creeks  wind  and  twist  themselves  along 
the  northern  portion  until  they  come  to 
what  is  known  as  the  Scatters  of  Pond 
Creek,  which  is  a  swamp  for  two  miles  in  ex- 
tent, covered  with  tall  grass,  where  the  creek 
soaks  lazily  along  among  the  tufts  of  grass, 
finally  forming  a  stream  again  and  empty- 
ing into  Big  Muddy. 

There  are  ten  separate  and  distinct  veins 
of  bituminous  coal  in  this  county,  which 
spreads  out  and  underlies  three-fourths  of 
its  surface,  and  in  dozens  of  places  crops 
out  where  it  can  be  cheaply  and  easily  min- 
ed ;  and  the  veins  average  nine  feet  in  thick- 
ness. No  country  on  the  globe  is  better  sup- 
plied with  coal  than  this  county. 

When  our  fathers  came  here,  they  found 
these  vast,  silent,  virgin  plains  unclaimed, 
untouched,  untilled,  hedgeless,  free  to  all. 
Field-like  in  wastes,  yet  fertile,  awaiting, 
full  of  charms  and  loveliness,  the  smiling 
.face  of  man.    On  entering  the  county   jfrom 


4  '     ■  THE   HISTORY   OF 

the  east  side  an  immense  floe  stretched 
westward  beyond  the  reach  of  vision;  the 
burning  landscape  was  gashed  with  deep 
ravines,  against  whos3  rocky  throats  an  old 
tree  formed  a  pent-house  on  this  silent  main 
for  travelers  against  rain  and  tempest.  No 
sound  broke  nature's  solemn  repose.  The 
summer  breeze  rocked  itself  to  sleep  in  the 
elm  boughs,  and  only  the  waning  moon  seem- 
ed alive,  as  it  climbed  up  a  cloudless  sky, 
passing  starry  sentinels,  whose  mighy  chal- 
lenge was  lost  in  the  vast  vortexes  of  blue,  as 
they  paced  the  ceaseless  rounds  in  the  can- 
opy of  constellations.  Many  a  beautiful  lit- 
tle lake,  without  a  ripple,  lay  hid  in  the  tall 
grass,  reflecting  the  birds  that  passed  over 
them,  and  from  their  clear  bosom  gave  back 
the  polished  beauty  of  the  heavens  above. 

The  northern  and  southern  portions  of 
the  county  were  well  timbered;  but  the  cen- 
tral was  a  vast  barrens,  without  a  shrub,  ex- 
cept on  the  streams ;  but  is  now  heavily  tim- 
bered. There  are  nine  beautiful  little  prai- 
ries in  the  county,  averaging  about  three 
square  miles  each,  the  edges  of  which  were 
studded  with  low  trees — crab  apples,  haw- 
thorns, red  buds,  etc.,  which  bloomed  in 
the  spring,  making  most  romantic  scenery. 
Many  of  these  little  groves  remain  to  this 
day,  with  Nature's  own  rich  festooning 
hung,  and  afford  a  splendid  retreat  for  pic- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  5 

nics.  But  there  is  nothing  in  a  tree  alone  to 
please;  it  is  the  variety  which  Nature  gives 
that  makes  the  complex  emotions  and  beau- 
tiful sensations  in  men.  She  has  been  pro- 
fuse. She  spreads  blossoms  over  the  face 
of  the  country.  Flowers  hang  like  jewels 
from  boughs;  but  she  puts  on  no  unneces- 
sary paint.  More  sweetness  would  cloy  the 
palate,  more  beauty  would  pale  the  sight. 
There  is  no  room  for  a  man  to  call  up  a  more 
delightful  theme.  The  trees  had  a  gorgeous 
drapery  of  flowers  and  coniferous  vines,  and 
the  horizontal  limbs  rose  by  regular  stag- 
ings, one  above  the  other,  where  the  rural 
deities  revealed  in  their  own  sylvan  soli- 
tudes, wearing  their  wreaths  twined  by  the 
rosy  fingers  of  Romana,  and  the  spicy  odors 
swept  up  the  drowsy  upland  all  day  from 
the  forest  and  prairie  meadows,  while  the 
air  was  lifting  clustering  rings  of  dark 
clouds  above.  This  was  a  lovely  home  for  the 
Red  Man,  where  the  dews  of  Egypt  killed 
roses  and  vines  for  him,  and  Nature,  with 
her  sweet  influence,  taught  him  to  love  and 
adore  the  Great  Spirit  in  this  fair  haven  of 
happiness  and  repose,  too  pure  and  stain- 
less to  be  sullied  by  immorality.  But  Nature 
is  not  lavish;  she  spreads  her  white  robes 
in  the  spring,  and  reserves  her  red  until 
autumn. 

When  our  fathers  came  here,  they  found 


6  THE    HISTORY   OF 

the  grass  higher  than  their  heads,  and  for 
twenty  years  it  was  the  best  range  that  man 
ever  saw,  until  the  farmers  stopped  the 
hunters  from  burning  the  woods.  When  this 
was  done,  the  leaves  killed  the  grass,  and 
up  came  the  bushes.  Some  of  this  tall  grass 
grows  on  the  scatters  of  Pond  Creek  every 
year.  They  found  a  great  deal  of  wet  land, 
or  swamps.  On  account  of  the  vegetation' 
growing  so  thick  and  rank,  the  water  could 
not  run  off  fast.  Our  fathers  found  herbs 
for  medicine  and  beverage.  There  was 
savey  and  thyme  for  broth,  sage  for  sausage, 
pink-root  for  worms,  and  worm-wood  for 
bruises,  flowers  for  bouquets,  and  apples 
for  friends.  In  these  rude  solitudes  was 
the  bright  golden  paw-paw  apple,  six  inches 
long  and  three  in  diameter,  mellow 
and  sweet,  but  not  very  delicious.  There 
were  ferns  and  water-lilies  with  long  deep 
green,  shiny  leaves  standing  near  the  virgin 
poplar,  with  its  cluster  of  leaves  waving 
against  the  blue  sky,  which  sent  out  its 
shady  radiance  like  the  borealis  waves  its 
ghastly  banners  over  a  midnight  sky.  These 
prairies  ripple  and  glitter  yet ;  but  wherever 
civilized  man  has  put  his  foot,  it  has  left  its 
print,  and  now  wild  briars,  thorns  and 
thistles  have  grown  up  to  choke  out  the 
sv/eet  blossoms  which  once  bloomed  over  this 
county.    The  forests  are  cut  down  in  many 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  7 

places,  and  rich  mansions  point  their  steeples 
and  spires  up  to  heaven.  Rich  exotic  and 
tropical  plants  mingle  their  patrician  odors 
with  the  tints  of  our  native  blue-bells  and 
ladies'  slippers. 

But  some  of  our  fathers  came  here  when 
the  glad  sound  of  waters  was  not  heard; 
when  the  streams  were  locked  in  the  icy 
shackles  of  winter;  when  the  grass  lay  bur- 
ied beneath  autumnal  snows ;  when  the  winds 
went  wailing  over  the  desolate  brightness, 
and  the  cypress,  with  its  countless,  interlac- 
ed branches  of  hoary  gray,  stood  up  like  a 
li)]e  of  giant  ghosts,  an  aspect  of  desolation 
and  death.  When  they  came  here  they  found 
no  monuments  of  past  greatness;  no  Coli- 
seum lay  in  a  pile  of  ruins;  no  Obelisk  of 
Sesotris  pointed  its  alabaster  finger  to  the 
eternal  source  of  light;  no  Pyramids  frown- 
ed down  upon  them;  no  battle-scars  were 
seen.  There  were  no  towering  evergreens, 
Oriental  bowers,  or  statuary.  It  was  a  vir- 
gin land,  with  delightful  nooks,  shady  re- 
treats, creeping  vines,  wrestling  amid  the 
forest  of  perpetual  green,  and  barren  dis- 
tricts, with  the  storm-brand  of  ages  on  their 
breast.  It  was  a  new  land.  Her  greatness 
was  all  in  the  future — her  history  yet  to  be 
made  and  written,  except  where  it  had  been 
v/ritten  by  Nature's  legible  hand.  It  was  a 
land  of  trees;  a  land  of  flowers;  a  land  of 


8  THE   HISTORY   OF 

plains  and  brooks  and  vales ;  a  land  in  whose 
dark,  deep  dells  of  the  garden  of  Memory 
lie?  embedded ;  in  whose  blessed  retreats  the 
aged  pioneer  can  refresh  and  strengthen 
himself,  and  drink  in  anew  the  pearly 
streams  of  happiness  that  rippled  along  its 
sunlit  banks;  a  land  where  imagination  can 
wing  her  proud  flight  from  lofty  realms  to 
realms  more  lofty  still;  until  fancy,  with 
all  her  images,  is  fatigued  and  overwhelmed, 
and  falls  in  silence  and  admiration  at  the 
feet  of  the  majestic  works  of  God. 
OF  GAME. 
In  an  early  day  these  prairies  and  wood- 
lands were  well  filled  with  wild  animals.  The 
buffalo,  which  once  roamed  over  this  county 
in  unbroken  herds  of  countless  hundreds, 
were  not  seen  here  as  late  as  1810;  but  many 
of  their  trails  remain  to  this  day.  They 
would  feed  on  Phelps  and  Poor  Prairies,  and 
in  the  evening  go  to  the  Crab  Orchard  for 
water;  and  they  wore  out  deep  paths  to  the 
creek.  One  of  these  trails  can  be  seen  from 
G.  L.  Owen's,  and  one  from  A.  B,  Scurlock's 
to  the  creek.  But  deer  was  here  in  large 
droves  as  late  as  1848,  and  even  yet  are 
some  wandering  ones  found.  In  an  early 
day  they  were  seen  in  great  gangs,  feeding 
on  the  rich  and  verdant  herbage  that  carpet- 
ed our  emerald  meadows.  Sometimes  thei 
breathless  stillness  of  the  forest  would     be 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  9 

broke  by  the  crack  of  a  rifle,  and  hundreds 
of  wolves  would  hold  their  midnight  carni- 
val over  the  remains  of  one  of  these  noble 
animals.  Bears  were  found  in  great  num- 
bers in  the  bottoms.  Elk  left  in  a  few  years 
after  the  bison.  Wildcats,  raccoons,  skunks, 
otters,  minks,  ground  hogs,  squirrels, 
opossum,  rabbits,  etc.,  are  still  found  in 
abundance.  Until  within  a  few  years  the 
blood-shot  eye  of  the  catamount  might  be 
seen  glaring  in  the  foliage.  Serpents  were 
here  in  great  profusion — copperheads,  black 
and  blue  racers,  chicken,  garter,  green  and 
horn  snakes,  moccasins,  adders,  etc. ;  and  as 
an  adjunct  to  this  horrible  scene  were  hun- 
dreds of  rattle  snakes.  Their  huge  scaly 
bodies  could  be  seen  shining,  as  they  lay  in 
folds  upon  hill-sides,  and  when  approached 
would  throw  open  their  mouths  in  a  daring 
and  reckless  manner,  giving  ample  warning 
of  their  ability  and  disposition  to  defend 
themselves.  But  they  are  gone,  and  soon 
memory  will  lose  all  its  wild  deer.  Thus 
will  perish  forever  the  game  which  was  to 
our  father  objects  of  mutual  pleasure  and 
dangers. 

OF  BIRDS. 

Our  fathers  did  not  find  those  beautiful 
singing-birds  here  when  they  came  that  we 
now  have.     They  are  creatures  of  civilized 


10  THE   HISTORY   OP 

countries,  and  follow  the  tide  of  emigration. 
But  vultures  were  here,  and  would  flop  their 
broad  wings  and  soar  over  head  in  great 
cJouds  when  disturbed.  Vast  flocks  of  buz- 
zards circled  round  and  round  far  up  in  the 
blue  ether,  and  made  their  home  in  the  winds 
and  clouds.  Cranes,  brants,  wild  geese,  and 
eagles  were  seen,  and  the  blue  herron  would 
stretch  upward  with  their  long,  skinny 
necks  at  the  sight  of  man.  The  golden 
oriole,  blue  jay,  and  the  flaming  red  bird 
di-rted  away  among  the  shadowy  boughs, 
and  the  lark  poured  his  sad  sweet  notes  on 
the  spicy  air;  plovers,  prairie  hens,  wrens, 
robins,  ravens,  crows,  blackbirds,  pewits, 
martins,  thrush,  quail,  snipe,  king-fisher, 
mocking-birds,  pigeons,  doves,  yellow  ham- 
mers, blue-birds  are  very  plentiful. 

There  is  a  buzzard  which  sails  graceful- 
ly over  Northern  Percinct  to  which  tradition 
ascribes  a  mysterious  history.  It  was  caught 
in  a  wolf-trap  over  forty-five  years  ago; 
and  one  leg  still  hangs  down  as  it  flies.  It 
has  been  kept  sight  of  ever  since.  In  the 
same  locality  lives  a  gray  eagle  whose  mate 
was  shot  by  Dr.  S.  M.  Mitchell  over  twenty- 
five  years  ago. 

OF  INDIANS. 

That  portion  of  the  Territory  lying  be- 
tv\een  the  Big  Muddy  on  the  west,  and    the 


WILUAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  11 

Wabash  on  the  east,  was  for  over  thirty 
years  inhabited  by  the  Shawnee  tribe  of  In- 
dians. And  that  west  of  Big  Muddy,  to  tlie 
Mississippi,  was  occupied  by  the  Kaskaskia 
Indians. 

In  the  year  1802,  a  battle  occurred  be- 
tween the  two  tribes.  These  tribes  would 
occassionally  trespass  upon  the  hunting 
grounds  of  each  other,  from  which  quarrels 
ensued,  and  finally  the  battle  above  men- 
tioned. It  was  fought  by  agreement  on  the 
half-way  ground,  in  Town  Mount  Prairie, 
in  the  edge  of  Franklin  county,  about  three 
miles  south-west  of  Frankfort.  The  Kas- 
kaskians  were  under  the  command  of  their 
chief  John  DuQuoin,  then  quite  an  old  man, 
and  a  good  friend  to  the  whites.  The  Shaw- 
nees  were  commanded  by  a  chief  of  a 
treacherous  nature,  which  was  probably  the 
cause  of  the  fight.  As  to  the  duration  of 
this  battle,  we  have  no  means  of  knowing; 
but  the  battle-ground  itself,  though  under 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  can  yet  be  locat- 
ed by  the  marks.  The  farms  occupied  by  L. 
D.  Throop  and  the  Dennings,  are  at  the  ex- 
tremes of  the  battle-field,  the  main  fight  tak- 
ing place  a  little  south  of  Mr.  Throop's  resi- 
dence. A  large  number  of  the  Shawnees 
were  slain,  and  the  remainder  driven  to  the 
Big  Muddy  River,  at  a  point  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  below  the  bridge,  on  the  Frank- 


12  THE    HISTORY   OF 

fort  and  DuQuoin  road,  where,  in  attempt- 
ing to  cross  they  were  nearly  all  butchered, 
and  the  tribe  annihilated.  The  Kaskaski- 
as  after  that  held  undisputed  sway,  until  the 
encroachment  of  the  whites  drove  them  be- 
yond the  Mississippi. 

Since  the  year  1802  there  were  a  few 
straggling  bands  of  hunters  and  fishermen 
in  this  county,  but  no  tribe  ever  again  claim- 
ed it.  In  consequence  of  the  hostile  dispo- 
sition of  the  Indians,  no  white  settlements 
were  made  this  side  of  Equality  until  1804, 
when  seven  brothers  by  the  name  of  Jordan, 
John  and  William  Browning,  Joseph  Estes 
and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Barbrey,  a  broth- 
er-in-law to  the  Jordans,  came  from  Smith 
county  Tennessee,  and  located  in  Franklin 
county,  and  built  a  fort  and  block-house  on 
the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  residence  of 
Alexander  McCreery. 

Until  1815  little  or  no  attempt  was  made 
by  them  to  cultivate  the  soil,  but  they  sub- 
sisted on  the  products  of  the  woods.  In  the 
year  1812,  James  Jordan  and  Barbrey  went 
out  to  gather  wood,  and  they  were  fired  on 
by  the  Indians,  Barbrey  was  killed  dead 
and  scalped;  Jordan  was  wounded  in  the 
legs,  but  was  able  to  get  to  the  fort.  After 
obtaining  re-inforcements  from  Frank  Jor- 
dan's fort,  they  started  in  pursuit  of  the  In- 
dians and  followed  them  as  far  as  the  Okaw 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  13 

River,  but  did  not  overtake  them.  Barbrey 
was  buried  at  the  fort,  and  his  grave  can 
be  seen  at  this  day.  The  murder  of  Bar- 
brey v^as  but  a  just  and  inexphcable  epitome 
of  that  long  catalogue  of  violent  deaths, 
ushered  in  by  the  keen  crack  of  the  savage 
Indians'  rifle,  and  ending  with  the  hollow 
thud  of  the  murderous  shot-gun  in  this 
county. 

A  large  portion  of  the  Shawnee  tribe 
lived  in  Indiana,  and  in  1811  were  camped 
on  the  Tippecanoe,  a  tributary  of  the  Wa- 
bash. The  great  Tecumseh  was  chief  of  the 
Shawnee  Indians,  and  at  that  time  was  pre- 
paring for  war  against  Governor  Harrison; 
and  while  our  government  was  fighting 
England,  Tecumseh  left  his  tribe  in  1811  and 
taking  twelve  of  his  warriors  with  him, 
started  south  to  enlist  the  Creek  Indians  to 
join  him.  He  passed  through  this  county, 
coming  into  it  from  the  north-east  to  Ma- 
rion, where  he  struck  the  Kaskaskia  trail.  He 
followed  it  to  the  Hill  place  and  then  on 
south.  About  a  mile  south  of  Marion  he 
was  met  and  talked  to  by  John  Phelps,  who 
had  been  in  the  country  but  a  short  time 
and  he  was  frightened  very  badly.  But 
Tecumseh  was  a  humane  Indian  and  was 
never  known  to  ill-treat  or  murder  a  pris- 
oner, and  denounced  all  who  did,  and  em- 
ployed all  his  authority  and  eloquence  to 


14  THE   HISTORY   OP 

protect  the  helpless.  In  the  fall  he  return- 
e<l  north,  and  was  greatly  mortified  over 
his  brother's  defeat  at  Tippecanoe.  The  next 
year  he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  tha 
Thames,  in  Canada. 

But  the  Shawnee  Indians  were  not  all 
like  Tecumseh.  They  were  hated  and  dreaded 
by  the  whites,  and  were  overwhelmed  and 
obliterated  by  the  relentless  flow  of  the  pale- 
faces, and  lived  only  in  memory  and  history. 
They  once  claimed  this  county  as  their  own, 
arid  the  light  bark  canoe  swam  on  the  silver 
bosom  of  the  Saline.  As  they  wandered 
along  its  shores  they  passed  forests  whose 
sombre  depths  were  veiled  to  them  by  a  vast 
screen  of  drooping  birch,  and  then  they 
pushed  their  little  craft  through  wide- 
spreading  beds  of  water  lilies,  and  then,  en- 
tering one  of  Nature's  solemn  temples,  what 
weird,  wonderous  visions  greeted  their 
thrilled  senses !  As  they  glided  slowly  along, 
the  heavens  were  almost  shut  out.  Behind 
and  before  them  rose  up  trunks  of  trees ;  now 
and  then  they  stooped  as  they  passed  under 
some  monarch  of  the  place.  They  pushed 
aside  the  thickly  trailing  vines  and  then  the 
canoe  would  disturb  a  perfect  surface  of  the 
most  marvelous  mirror,  reflecting  countless 
forms  of  leaves  and  twigs.  How  intense  was 
the  silence,  broken  only  by  the  splash  of  a 
single  blue  heron,   who,   wondering  at  the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  15 

intrusion,  gazed,  and  then  spreading  his 
great  wings,  rose  and  slowly  disappeared. 
Such  were  the  scenes  of  these  dirty,  greasy, 
filthy  Indians. 

Every  valley  of  our  beautiful  county 
gives  evidence  of  the  existence  of  the  race 
to  which  I  refer.  The  delightful  valley  of 
the  Crab-Orchard  is  replete  with  Indian  his- 
tory and  reminiscence.  But  the  Kaskaskias, 
who  were  friendly  with  the  whites,  continu- 
ed to  come  to  this  county  as  late  as  1828. 
They  were  sent  out  by  Colonel  Manair,  a 
trader  of  Kaskaskia,  to  hunt  for  furs,  etc. 
They  would  come  in  the  fall  and  camp  on  Big 
Muddy,  Hurricane,  Crab-Orchard,  Caplin- 
ger  Ponds,  and  other  streams.  But  these 
were  Indians  in  whom  the  peculiar  charac- 
teristics of  the  race  had  given  place  to  r.ome 
of  the  courtesies  and  confidences  of  civilized 
man.  A  very  large  number  of  them  were 
camped  at  Bainbridge  as  late  as  1813.  James 
Maneece  once  visited  this  camp,  and  they 
had  a  large  kettle  of  terrapins  on  boiling, 
making  soup.  They  asked  him  to  eat  with 
them,  but  he  declined.  The  Crain  boys  and 
others  used  to  go  to  their  camps  on  the  Crab- 
Orchard,  and  have  fun  with  them.  They 
asked  them  why  they  did  not  go  down  on 
the  Saline ;  that  there  was  plenty  of  all  kinds 
of  game  there;  but  the  Indian  would  shake 
his  head  and  say,  "Griff ee  live  there;     he 


16  THE   HISTORY   OP 

kill  Indians."  Thos.  Griffee  had  a  charac- 
ter for  killing  every  Indian  he  could  catch 
in  the  woods,  and  they  were  afraid  to  go 
down  there.  When  they  camped  on  Big 
Muddy,  the  white  folks  would  go  down  regu- 
larly every  Sunday  to  see  them.  One  old  In- 
dian who  came  here  for  several  years  had  a 
v/hite  wife,  by  the  name  of  Ellen,  said  to  be 
very  handsome.  He  would  never  leave  her 
at  the  camp  alone  on  Sunday,  for  fear  the 
white  boys  would  steal  her.  These  hunters 
used  to  go  quite  often  to  farmers'  houses 
for  something  to  eat. 

In  Northern  Precinct,  they  got  so  bad 
that  the  women  were  afraid  to  stay  at  home 
alone  while  they  were  loitering  around 
through  the  woods.  The  men  banded  to- 
gether, and  gave  the  Indians  ten  days'  no- 
tice to  leave  the  country.  They  produced 
the  Governor's  permit  to  hunt,  but  it  was  not 
honored.  They  left  before  the  ten  days 
were  out,  and  were  never  seen  in  Northern 
Precinct  again.  John  Roberts,  the  Burns 
and  Ratcliff  were  in  the  band.  Wigwams 
were  still  standing  on  Carl.  Grave's  farm,  in 
1820;  and  on  Hugh  Park's,  as  late  as  1829, 
were  traces  of  camps.  But  after  1818,  they 
never  went  into  the  eastern  part  of  the  coun- 
ty. They  had  a  camp  at  a  spring  on  the 
farm  of  J.  S.  Neely,  in  1817.  Also,  on  In- 
dian Camp  Creek,  in  the  Burns  settlement. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  17 

A  little  south  of  the  old  station,  near  Pond 
Creek,  are  several  Indian  mounds;  they  are 
piles  of  dirt  thrown  up  two  feet  high  and 
twenty  feet  across  to  set  the  wigwams  on 
to  kept  them  dry.  Many  relics  of  the  Indians 
have  been  found  in  this  county.  On  Wesley 
Park's  farm  are  rocks  cut  and  carved  in  cu- 
rious style  by  the  Indians. 

OF  EARLY  SETTLERS. 

The  French  settlers  of  Kaskaskia  were 
Eiostlj^  engaged  in  fur  trading,  and,  in  pur- 
suing this  business,  would  follow  up  the 
streams  emptying  into  the  Mississippi,  near 
that  place.  As  no  stream  runs  from  this 
county  to  Kaskaskia,  it  is  not  probable  that 
any  of  these  people  ever  entered  what  is 
now  Williamson  county  until  1720. 

When  Renault,  an  agent  of  the  Mississip- 
pi Company,  left  France  with  two  hundred 
miners  to  carry  out  the  mining  schemes 
of  that  company  in  Illinois,  he  bought  five 
hundred  slaves  at  San  Domingo,  to  work  in 
the  mines.  He  settled  at  St.  Phillip,  and 
sent  out  exploring  expeditions  all  over  Illi- 
nois. He  remained  here  twenty-four  years, 
and  spent  seven  millions  of  dollars.  While 
there  is  no  evidence  of  his  search  in  this 
county,  it  is  almost  certain  that  he  did  so. 
Along  the  north  side  of  Johnson  county  is 
found  a  shining  kind  of  metal  resembling 
-F  3 


18  THE   HISTORY   OF 

silver,  and  many  traces  of  extinct  mines  yet 
remain  that  at  some  day  must  have  been  the 
scene  of  much  labor  and  expense.  To  reach 
these  mines,  he  would  necessarily  pass 
through  this  county,  and  if  so,  was  the  first 
white  man  ever  to  break  its  solemn  silence 
with  the  tread  of  his  foot-steps.  The  next 
probable  account  of  white  men  in  this  coun- 
ty was  in  1766,  when  four  men,  who  had 
been  exploring  with  Col.  James  Smith  in 
Kentucky,  crossed  into  Illinois  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Tennessee,  and  traveled  fifty  miles 
north,  where  they  are  lost  sight  of  forever. 
It  is  likely  they  were  killed  by  the  Indians 
in  this  county. 

The  first  white  men  known  to  have  been 
in  this  county  was  in  1796.  Col.  George  Rog- 
ers Clarke,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
came  down  the  Ohio  en  route  for  Kaskaskia. 
lie  left  Fort  Massac  about  the  14th  day  of 
June,  and  marched  on  foot  to  a  point  seven 
miles  north-west  of  Golconda.  Here  he 
turned  north-west,  and  came  into  our  coun- 
ty at  the  south-east  corner,  marched  by 
Sarahville  to  Thomas  Hill's  place,  then  turn- 
ed north,  passed  within  one  hundred  and  fif- 
ty yards  of  Marion  on  the  west  side,  then 
through  the  east  side  of  Phelps'  Prairie  to 
Herrin's  Prairie,  passing  through  where 
D.  R.  Harrison's  fine  brick  mansion  now 
stands  and  crossing  Big  Muddy  at  the  mouth 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  19 

of  Pond  Creek,  or  Odum  Ford,  and  arrived 
at  Kaskaskia  on  the  4th  day  of  July.  This 
has  since  been  known  as  the  Kaskaskia 
Trail,  and  in  an  early  day  was  very  muddy 
and  hard  to  travel.  So  much  so,  that  a  new 
trail,  known  as  the  "Worthen  Trail,"  was 
made  through  the  east  side  of  the  county. 
It  turned  north  near  Sarahville,  and  ran 
along  the  ridge  through  the  Hendrickson 
Settlement,  then  into  Town  Mount  Prairie, 
and  joined  the  old  trail  south-east  of  Du- 
Quoin.  In  Phelps'  Prairie,  Clarke,  suspect- 
ing his  Indian  guides  of  treachery,  put  bay- 
onets behind  them  and  gave  them  one  hour 
to  find  the  right  direction  or  die.  They 
foimd  it.  Clark  spent  twenty  days  crossing 
a  country  that  at  most  would  not  have  re- 
quired more  than  four  days  for  his  sturdy 
back-woodsmen  to  cross.  From  this  I  con- 
clude that  he  built  what  is  known  as  "Stone- 
fort,"  in  Saline  county,  near  the  old  trail. 
There  are  the  remains  of  an  old  fort  en- 
closing an  acre  of  ground  with  dilapitated 
walls  of  stone  on  three  sides,  and  a  huge 
bluff  on  the  north.  A  short  distance  from 
the  fort  up  and  down  stream  is  a  block- 
house. That  this  was  built  about  this  time 
is  evident  from  the  growth  of  the  trees  in 
it.  It  is  the  shape  and  style  of  those  built 
by  white  men  on  the  frontiers.  The  block- 
houses were  built  up  and  down  the  stream, 


20        .'  THE   HISTORY    OF 

the  way  the  Indians  traveled.  It  is  built  on 
a  high  bluff,  where  nearly  all  forts  are 
built  by  white  men.  The  Indians  never  built 
any  rock  forts,  and  never  entrenched  on 
open,  high  or  conspicuous  places.  It  was 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  Saline  River, 
the  regular  camping  ground  of  the  Shawnee 
Indians  for  over  thirty  years,  who,  at  this 
time,  were  at  war  with  the  whites,  and  mov- 
ing eastward.  I  was  unable  to  find  and  en- 
gj  aving  or  sculpturing  on  the  rocks,  but  the 
trees  have  been  blazed  and  the  dates  grown 
up.  I  give  it  as  my  opinion,  based  on  the 
history  of  the  past,  that  Clark  built  this  fort. 
It  was  occupied  in  1813  by  a  family  of 
Shultz's. 

This  brings  me  to  the  first  settlement, 
which  occurred  in  1810.  Frank  Jordan  built 
a  fort  in  Northern  Precinct.  It  was  a  stock- 
acie  enclosing  about  one  acre  of  land,  and 
contained  four  log  cabins  and  a  well,  and 
v/as  about  fifty  yards  from  Pond  Creek.  It 
is  now  known  by  the  name  of  the  "Old  Sta- 
tion," and  in  1820  half  the  stockade  was 
standing  and  the  cabins  were  occupied  by 
James  Howe  and  Mr.  Parks.  An  old  doctor 
by  the  name  of  John  Dunlap  was  with  the 
Jordans  in  this  fort.  He  claimed  to  have  been 
captured  by  the  Indians  when  a  boy  and 
brought  up  by  them  to  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine. He  lived  a  great  many  years  and  follow- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  21 

od  his  profession,  and  always  got  his  medi- 
cine out  of  the  roots  and  herbs  in  the  woods. 

In  this  year  three  of  the  DilHnghams 
came  to  this  county  on  a  hunting  expedition, 
and  camped  where  Bazzel  Holland  now  lives. 
For  several  years  they  continued  to  come 
here  to  hunt,  and  finally  settled.  They  fre- 
quently met  the  Indians,  but  always  got 
along  friendly  with  them.  In  1811  John 
Phelps  settled  Phelps'  Prairie.  Jay  and  Mc- 
Ciure  settled  at  the  Odum  Ford.  Joseph  and 
Thomas  Griffee  settled  at  Ward's  Mill.  Wil- 
liam Donald  settled  the  Hill  place.  John 
Manesse  and  his  son  James  settled  in  Phelp's 
Prairie.  During  this  year  these  settlers  and 
some  from  down  on  Cache,  built  a  block- 
house on  the  John  Davis'  place,  west  of 
Marion.  It  was  built  of  hewed  logs,  and 
was  twenty  feet  square,  covered  with  slabs, 
and  had  port  holes  eight  feet  from  the 
ground.  They  all  went  into  this  fort  at  night, 
and  had  nineteen  white  dogs  for  guards  on 
the  outside.  The  tracks  of  Indians  were 
often  seen  around  in  the  morning. 

James  Maneese  was  twenty-three  years 
old  before  he  knew  what  a  doctor  was.  He 
was  once  sent  with  a  note  to  one  which  he 
gave  to  a  man  who  gave  it  to  the  doctor. 
Maneese  thought  it  was  a  machine  he  was 
going  for.  But,  lo,  Mr.  Doctor  was  a  man! 
A  man  by  the  name  of    Hibbins  settled  the 


22  THE   HISTORY    OP 

west  side  of  Herrin's  Prairie  during  this 
year,  but  was  compelled  to  leave  it  the  next. 
Eighteen  and  twelve  is  memorable  for  the 
settlement  of  Flanery,  at  Flanery  Springs. 
Richard  Bankston  settled  the  Spiller  farai 
north  of  Marion.  An  unknown  hunter  built 
his  camp  on  what  is  now  Benton  Russell's 
farm,  but  he  had  to  leave  on  account  of  the 
Indians.  A  few  more  were  added  to  Jordan's 
fort,  and  Richard  Ratcliff  settled  the  Rob- 
erts' farm  in  Northern.  Charles 
Humphreys  settled  at  the  Stancil  ford,  and 
commenced  to  keep  a  ferry.  He  built  him  a 
small  block-house,  but  the  Indians  some- 
times got  so  bad  that  he  had  to  remove  his 
family  to  Jordan's  fort  for  safety.  One  night, 
James  Herrin,  who  had  come  out  here  on  a 
visit,  stayed  in  the  house  with  the  ferryman. 
It  thundered  and  lightened  terribly,  and 
they  could  see  the  Indians  walking  around 
when  it  lightened.  But  they  were  all  gone 
before  day.  In  1815  Nathan  Arnett  settled 
the  Hinchliff  farm,  and  Abraham  Piatt, 
William  Doty  and  Nelson  McDonald  settled 
near  him.  Solomon  Snider  and  James  Mc- 
Donald moved  up  from  Johnson  county  and 
settled  in  Grassy.  Dempsey  Odum  settled  the 
F.  C.  Kirkham  farm.  Aaron  Youngblood  set- 
tled the  Jake  Sanders'  place.  In  1816  there 
were  but  few  settlers.  Joshua  Tyner  set- 
tled on  the  Eight  Mile ;  William  Lindsey  the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  23 

Samuel  Russell  place ;  Jasper  Grain  settled 
on  the  west  side  of  the  prairie,  and  the  next 
year  moved  to  Phelps'  Prairie.  1817  was 
more  prolific  of  settlers.  Spencer  Grain  set- 
tled in  Phelps'  Prairie.  John  Phelps  moved 
to  Union  county.  Ragsdall  Rollin  settled 
the  north  side  of  the  prairie.  Isaac  Herrin 
settled  the  Stotlar  place  in  Herrin's  Prairie, 
Capt.  David  Springs  settled  the  Graves' 
place.  John  Roberts  bought  Ratcliff's  im- 
provements. John  Hooker  and  James  Howe 
settled  near  him  and  Mr.  Worthen.  In  1818 
there  was  a  great  influx  of  people.  Philhp 
Russell  and  his  three  sons  settled  in  the  Eight 
Mile.  Perkins  in  Herrin's  Prairie.  Elij'ah.' 
Spiller  bought  Bankston  out.  Bankston  was 
a  shrewd  man,  a  great  hunter,  but  a  drunk- 
ard. William  Burns  and  five  brothers  set- 
tled in  Northern.  Major  Lockaleer  the  Burns 
place.  George  Davis  the  Bell  place.  Dicken- 
son Garrett  a  little  south  of  James  Edwards. 
Hezekiah  Garrett,  the  Ben  Eaton  farm.  Wil- 
liam Norris  on  Phelps'  Prairie. 

The  settlers  of  1819  were  David  Her- 
ring with  his  father-in-law,  Isaac  Herrin. 
The  prairie  was  named  after  Isaac.  Sion 
Mitchell,  S.  M.  Mitchell  and  Moses  Jones 
settled  in  Northern.  S.  M.  Mitchell  where  he 
now  lives.  Conrad  Baker  in  Herrin's  Prai- 
rie. William  and  Ben  Spiller  in  the  Spiller 
settlement.    Abraham  Tippy    and    his    son, 


24  THE   HISTORY   OF 

John,  a  little  south  of  Bainbridge.  Starling 
Hill  at  the  Hill  place,  and  Simpkins  brothers 
near  Hill's.  1820  is  signahzed  by  the  set- 
tlement of  Wadkins  and  his  negro — the  first 
one  in  the  county.  Dowell  Russell  settled  the 
Lewis  Parks  place.  Mark  Robinson,  the 
Kidd  place.  Some  of  the  Shultz's  in  Saline 
precinct.  James  Stewart  and  his  sons,  on 
the  Pease  farm.  1821,  David  Corder  settled 
the  Erwin  farm  on  the  east,  and  George  Da- 
vis on  the  west.  Major  James  Corder  set- 
tled the  Stilly  farm.  1822,  Hamilton  Corder 
where  he  now  lives.  Charles  Erwin  settled 
the  farm  on  which  he  lived  and  died.  Hugh 
Parks  on  the  Jack  Thompson  place,  and 
seven  years  afterwards  moved  where  he 
now  lives.  Daniel  Mosley,  the  Furlong  place. 
1S23,  Vvilham  Campbell  settled  Biairsville, 
and  Sam.  Stacks  Southern  Precinct. 

I  have  now  given  all  the  settlers  up  to 
1822.  These  I  have  denominated  "the  early 
settlers,"  for  three  reasons :  First,  it  gives 
us  a  settlement  in  all  the  precincts  of  the 
county,  and  Second,  they  produced  no  change 
in  the  country — neither  improving  it  nor  de- 
stroying the  game,  but  lived  like  the  In- 
dians, mostly  in  the  woods.  Third,  the  in- 
flux of  immigration  swelled  into  such  a 
stream  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  keep 
trace  of  individual  settlers  with  anything  like 
accuracy.     The  Bowles,  Lewis,  Wrights,  Ar- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  25 

nolds,  Hunters,  Phimesters,  Bakers  and  Tur- 
ners, all  settled  in  early  days. 

The  settlement  of  Marion  deserves  a 
notice.  Poor  Prairie,  by  William  Benson  in 
1826.  He  built  a  cabin  where  the  Cox  place 
is.  Soon  after  this,  Martin  Spiller  settled 
the  Goddard  place,  and  Tipo  S.  Williams 
the  Aikman  place,  and  Mr.  Tyner  built  a 
cabin  where  the  C.  &  S.  R.  R.  depot  now 
stands.  In  1835,  Benson  bought  Tyner's  im- 
provements, which  extended  over  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Marion,  and  he  built  a  cabin 
where  the  widow  of  Col.  James  D.  Pully  now 
lives.  At  that  time  a  cabin  was  standing 
where  Young  &  Kern's  store  now  stands,  in 
a  decayed  condition,  and  no  one  knew  any- 
thing of  it.  Benson  kept  hotel,  and  his  house 
was  used  as  a  court-house  for  a  while.  He 
cultivated  corn  and  wheat  where  the  square 
was  laid  out.  Silas  Grattan  settled  the  Bar- 
ham  place.  James  McCoy,  the  Stockton  place. 
Jacob  Goodall  settled  on  the  Goodall  farm 
southeast  of  Marion  in  1828.  I  will  now  pro- 
ceed to  give  a  description  of  the  character, 
manners,  etc.,  of  our  fathers,  and  first  of 

Their  Character. 

I  have  tried,  though  with  conscious  im- 
perfection to  describe  the  country  our  first 
settlers  found  when  they  came  here.  It  was 
this  lovely  country,  with  its  still  past,  and 


26  THE   HISTORY   OF 

glorious  future,  that  awakened  a  feeling  of 
independence  and  spirit  of  enterprise  among 
the  settlers.  They  were  generally  the  humb- 
ler class  from  Tennessee,  Kentucky, 
North  and  South  Carolina;  but  there  is 
scarcely  a  state  in  the  Union  that  has  not 
furnished  us  some  immigrants,  and  there  is 
no  country  where  more  singular,  more  eccen- 
tric, more  opposite  characters  were  found. 
Here  was  the  brave,  the  passionate,  the  gen- 
erous, the  sincere,  the  fickle,  the  bold,  the 
modest,  the  devout,  and  the  wicked.  Here 
were  some  devoid  of  treachery  and  malice, 
others  vindictive  and  penurious.  Some  were 
promoters  of  education,  and  some  were  idl- 
ers. Here  were  the  melancholy  and  the 
happy.  They  were  very  credulous  and  be- 
lieved nearly  everything  they  heard,  no  mat- 
ter how  exaggerated,  and  hence  imposition 
and  misfortune  was  often  their  lot.  They 
came  here  big  with  enterprise,  elated  with 
hope,  full  of  their  own  abilities.  They  trust- 
ed to  themselves  for  life.  They  were  poor, 
but  of  unmixed  blood.  There  were  no  half- 
breeds,  neither  of  Indians  nor  other  ob- 
noxious races.  In  private  life  they  lived 
Vv^ith  republican  austerity,  and  in  society 
moved  with  chivalrous  spirit.  They  settled 
on  the  margins  of  the  little  prairies,  on  the 
banks  of  streams,  and  near  large  springs. 
They  built  cabins  out  of  round  logs,    which 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  27 

they  chinked  and  daubed  to  keep  out  the 
winter's  cold  and  summer's  heat.  The  door 
v/as  hung  with  cypress  vines,  and  the  yard 
was  decorated  with  sun-flowers,  hollyhocks 
and  poseys,  showing  that  woman,  under  all 
circumstances,  has  something  sweet  and  no- 
ble in  her  life.  Many  of  these  cabins  are 
still  standing,  and  there  are  none  of  us,  if 
cur  ancestors  were  traced  back  a  few  genera- 
tions, but  would  find  them  in  one  of  these 
cabins,  where  the  midnight  wolves  howled 
their  nightly  serenade.  It  was  in  one  of 
these  rude  structures,  surrounded  by  an  un- 
broken forest,  that  the  author  of  this  vol- 
ume, still  an  humble  boy,  was  cast  out  upon 
the  cold  charities  of  an  unfeeling  and  incon- 
stant world,  to  live  in  a  sinful  day  and  suffer 
the  destinies  of  men.  And  these  old  woods 
are  still  eloquent  with  the  reminiscences  of 
long  ago — not  the  stuff  that  dreams  are 
made  of,  but  the  rank  charms  and  rich  loves 
of  the  past,  loading  the  vehicle  of  memory 
and  oppressing  the  soul. 

Two-thirds  of  the  early  settlers  followed 
the  occupation  of  hunting.  They  cultivated 
small  patches  of  corn  for  bread.  The  other 
third  followed  farming.  While  eight  acres 
was  a  large  farm,  they  made  good  livings 
and  had  something  to  give  their  children. 
Besides  these  two  classes,  there  was  a  va- 
grant class  that  sprung  up  in  the  last  forty 


28  THE   HISTORY   OF 

years,  who  roamed  through  the  woods  un- 
iufluenced  by  attachment  and  unfettered  by 
principle,  stealing  hogs  and  sheep.  But  they 
have  all  disappeared.  The  settlers  lived 
calm,  quiet  lives,  remote  from  the  active 
bustle  of  more  civilized  life.  Their  sur- 
roundings imparted  to  them  generous  feel- 
irigs,  gentle  manners  and  a  language  of 
liquid  softness.  Hospitality  with  them  was 
a  part  of  human  nature,  and  not  a  religious 
rite.  They  were  as  generous  as  their  soil  was 
productive.  Nature  had  bestowed  food  up- 
on them  with  a  liberal  hand,  and  taught  them 
to  share  it  with  the  hungry.  Social  inter- 
course was  more  general  than  now,  more 
hearty,  less  formal,  and  more  valued.  Friend- 
ships were  warmer  and  deeper.  When  a  man 
got  sick,  his  neighbors  would  go  break  his 
ground,  plant  his  crop  and  cultivate  it  for 
him.  And  it  was  thought  no  hardship  to 
ride  fifteen  miles  for  this  purpose,  or  even 
visiting  as  friends.  The  world  has  not  ex- 
hibited an  example  of  a  more  happy  race 
than  our  early  settlers.  Their  kindness  was 
bounded  only  by  their  capacity.  Nothing 
that  a  neighbor  wanted  was  too  good  for 
him  to  borrow.  While  some  of  them  had 
vices  of  savages,  most  of  them  had  the  vir- 
tues of  men.  They  were  true  to  their  coun- 
try, true  to  their  friends,  their  homes  and 
tl.'eir  God.    They  hardly  ever  forgave  an  in- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  29 

suit  or  forgot  a  kind  act;  and  if  their  ven- 
geance was  terrible,  their  generosity  was 
great.  Their  lives  may  seem  to  us  hard, 
lonesome  and  wearied  by  lifeless  monotony; 
but  they  were  passed  happily.  Some  of  our 
old  men  have  told  me  their  young  days  were 
the  best  and  sweetest  part  of  life.  They  heard 
the  same  song-birds  that  we  hear.  Their 
faces  were  fanned  by  the  same  breeze;  but 
they  were  surrounded  by  the  rich  influence 
of  wild,  untamed  Nature.  Cowardice  was  a 
foreigner.  They  were  thoughtful,  grave- 
looking  set  of  men,  with  long  beards,  and 
generally  had  but  little  to  say.  But  the  grav- 
ity of  the  stock  has  been  changed  by  grafts 
from  without,  and  these  early  characteristics 
are  observable  now  only  in  our  oldest  men. 
They  live  in  the  past,  and  only  look  to  the 
future  with  gratitude  and  hope  to  see  their 
children  fairly  gain  wealth  and  honor  in  a 
day  of  culture  and  refinement.  Some  of 
these  old  men  live  in  cabins  with  but  little 
around  them,  and  it  is  no  index  to  the  posi- 
tion they  once  held,  or  the  influence  they 
exerted,  to  see  them  living  that  way  now. 
They  might  have  been  captams  in  the  mi- 
litia, or  served  as  judge,  sheriff,  etc.,  in  the 
county.  Mr.  0.  West,  once  a  captain  in  the 
Army,  now  lives  in  a  humble  cottage.  Gen- 
eral John  Davis  lived  on  a  farm  in  a  log 
house.    These  men  never  resorted  to  slan- 


30  THE   HISTORY   OF 

der;  when  they  spoke  of  a  man  their  lan- 
guage clearly  showed  no  malice.  They  were 
generous  to  faults,  and  honest  in  their  deal- 
ings. The  children  of  those  who  followed 
faming  are  our  best  livers.  The  Herrings, 
Parks,  Russells,  Davis,  Roberts,  Stewarts, 
Arnolds,  were  not  hunters,  and  their  chil- 
dren are  our  wealthiest  famiers.  Those 
who  followed  hunting  are  now  generally 
poor. 

But  our  fathers  had  many  hardships  to 
lessen  the  joys  of  life.  They  were  often 
without  the  necessities  of  life.  They  had  but 
few  store  goods,  and  had  to  go  to  Equality 
for  salt,  to  Shawneetown  for  groceries  and 
domestics.  They  had  but  few  horses,  and 
most  of  the  traveling  was  done  on  foot.  Even 
in  a  very  late  day,  they  would  go  to  mill, 
carrying  two  bushels  of  corn  on  their  shoul- 
ders. But,  happily  for  our  people,  none  need 
have  such  hardships  now.  Our  mothers 
were  among  the  border  beauties  of  the  Great 
West.  They  were  very  plain,  untrammeled 
by  stages  and  ceremonies.  They  did  not 
have  white  hands,  nor  willow  waists,  and 
consequently  had  coarse,  awkward,  brawny 
health.  Still,  in  this  wilderness,  they  had 
much  of  their  refinement  belonging  to  their 
sex.  They  had  something  about  them  that 
was  womanly  and  attractive.  They  did  not 
S"vvear,  do,  nor  say  anything  that  was  sug- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  31 

gestive  of  immorality.  They  associated  with 
men,  and  very  coarse  ones,  and  were  initi- 
mately  acquainted  with  all  their  affairs. 
They  were  accustomed  to  the  woods  and 
dangers,  and  learned  to  be  strong  of  hand 
and  nerve,  and  to  keep  cool.  They  would 
fight  as  quick  as  the  men,  and  many  of  them 
were  excellent  shots  and  could  shoot  a  deer 
or  turkey  as  well  as  bake  a  hoe-cake.  Their 
necks  were  sun-burnt,  and  their  hair  hung 
down  or  was  twisted  in  a  little  knot  on  the 
back  of  the  head.  They  wore  no  ruffles, 
bias  stripes  or  flounces,  but  had  a  comliness 
of  their  own.  It  was  not  the  paltry  pretti- 
ness  of  gait  nor  manners  that  lent  beauty  to 
their  frontier  charms,  but  it  was  stalwart, 
untrained  grace  that  made  them  models  of 
beauty.  Their  ringlets  fell  in  troublesome 
abundance  and  would  not  be  confined.  Their 
cheeks,  if  they  could  but  know  the  absence 
of  sunbeam  caresses  and  the  boisterous 
kisses  of  the  wind,  would  show  the  clearest 
marble-white  and  bonniest  bloom.  They  shuf- 
fled their  limbs  slip-shod  along  trails  in 
search  of  animals,  and  of  whose  sound 
strength  the  owner  had  but  little  thought. 
They  had  arms  which  split  wood  and  car- 
ried water;  whose  whiteness  and  mould 
would  fit  them  rather  for  the  adornment  of 
golden  clasps  and  folds  of  ancient  lace.  Their 
houses  were  neat  and  tasty.    They  had    no 


32  THE    HISTORY   OF 

fine  furniture,  no  bright,  baize  carpet  cov- 
ered the  floor;  but  in  the  yard  a  stump  or 
box  contained  forest  flowers;  luxuriant 
branches  of  evergreens  hung  in  the  corners, 
and  festoons  of  oak  leaves  and  cypress  vines 
covered  the  whitewashed  walls  of  the  house ; 
and  panseys,  ferns  and  pinks  fringed  the 
walks. 

Many  of  our  older  ladies  look  back  with 
tears  in  their  eyes  on  these  fair  dwellings. 
How  bright  are  the  scenes,  and  how  sacred 
Dve  the  joys  which  surround  them!  Memory 
wraps  a  halo  of  beauty,  peace  and  glory 
around  them,  and  binds  anew  meir  charms 
to  the  heart.  Little  did  they  care  for  the 
smiles  of  the  gay  world  of  fashion  that  glit- 
ter and  gleam  on  the  paths  of  modern  belles. 
While  our  fathers  preached,  comuaanded, 
hunted  and  plowed,  our  mothers  spun,  wove, 
cultivated  flowers,  and  exerted  every  gentle, 
womanly  influence.  If  a  woman  wounded 
the  feelings  of  her  neighbor,  and  a  recon- 
ciliation had  to  be  effected,  some  little  chord, 
buried  deep  under  the  accumulated  debris 
Ol  pride,  indifference  and  wounded  vanity, 
was  struck  by  a  sympathetic  hand,  and 
thrilled  and  quivered  into  perfect  harmony. 
These  little,  impulsive  acts  were  genuine  in- 
spirations. Many  a  man  has  been  led  to 
the  fold  of  friendship,  and  many  a  woman's 
life  has  been  strengthened  by  the  sponta- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  33 

neous  infusion  of  sympathetic  feelings. 
They  loved  their  husbands,  brothers  and 
sons,  and  were  as  ready  to  join  them  in  their 
sports  and  amusements,  as  to  share  their 
privations  and  dangers.  They  provided 
lolly-pops  for  school-girls,  and  ginger-cakes 
for  boys,  and  flying  mares  and  sw^ings  for 
festive  days.  I  have  asked  our  old  ladies 
what  hardships  they  had  to  encounter  in  the 
early  settlement  of  this  county;  but  they 
gave  so  many  and  varied  accounts,  that  it 
was  hard  to  generalize  their  troubles.  They 
were  often  left  alone,  surrounded  by  wild 
animals  and  were  subject  to  frequent  hard- 
ships. I  will  relate  one  scene  which  I  saw 
when  a  boy,  illustrative  of  those  early  days. 
It  was  one  of  the  hardest  scenes  that  it  is 
the  allotment  of  men  to  meet.  It  was  a 
handsome  young  woman,  sitting  on  a  plow- 
beam,  nursing  her  baby.  She  had  just  been 
plowing,  and  had  taken  her  babe  up  from 
its  grassy  bed,  and  sat  down  to  rest.  This 
was  a  hard  sight.  New  feelings  sprang  up 
slowly  in  my  heart,  and  I  could  hardly  keep 
my  countenance  from  arguing  humanity  by 
sighs  and  sobs.  This  lovely  woman  met 
Fate's  stern  demand  with  a  brave  patience 
that  was  truly  grand  and  heroic.  The  birds 
had  learned  to  love  her,  and  as  the  trans- 
parent clouds  drifted  like  currents  and 
-F4 


34  THE   HISTORY   OF 

waves  of  gauze  athwart  the  sky,  they  whis- 
tled their  cheerful  lullabies  of  sympathy  and 
encouragement  to  her.  But  she  was  a 
widow,  and  afterwards  married  happy,  and 
Williamson  County  has  not  since  been  tar- 
nished by  a  scene  like  this,  which  must 
wither  the  pride  and  bring  a  blush  of  shame 
to  the  cheek  of  every  person  who  has  the 
least  spark  of  humanity  in  his  bosom.  If  it 
is  objected  that  this  incident  is  not  worthy 
of  historic  mention,  I  will  answer  that  the 
hardships  of  our  people  are  a  part  of  my 
subject,  and  my  heart  is  full  of  it. 

But  few  of  the  early  settlers  are  now 
living.  Since  we  have  parted  from  them, 
winter  has  come  and  gone,  spring  has  glad- 
dened us  with  beauty,  blossoms  and  fruits. 
And  the  summer  of  life  is  now  pouring  in 
profusion  into  the  lap  of  our  destiny  the 
highest  privileges  of  civilized  man,  to  be 
gathered  and  garnered  for  our  comfort. 
Much  of  the  real  character  of  our  people 
remains  unchanged,  and  this  county  today, 
contains  a  bold,  brave,  generous  class  of 
citizens,  distinguished  for  intelligence,  hon- 
esty and  high  moral  culture.  They  are  a 
people  which  will  compare  favorably,  in 
those  virtues  and  graces  with  ennoble  char- 
acter and  render  life  happy,  with  those  of 
any  part  of  the  Great  West. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  35 

OF  DRESS. 

Among  the  men  there  were  two  styles  of 
dressing  worn — one  by  those  who  followed 
farming,  and  one  by  those  who  were  hunt- 
ers. The  hunters,  who  were  by  far  the 
largest  class,  wore  a  hunting-shirt,  which 
was  a  large  linsey  or  domestic  gown,  open 
before  and  fastened  with  a  belt,  and  reached 
below  the  knees.  Under  this  was  a  pair  of 
domestic  pants,  a  common  vest,  and  deerskin 
moccasins  on  their  feet,  and  a  deer  or  a 
coon  skin  cap  on  their  heads.  This  was  the 
dress,  both  winter  and  summer,  and  in  this 
garb,  the  hunter  might  be  seen  wading  the 
snow  of  winter,  or  crushing  the  flowers  of 
summer.  At  church  and  public  gatherings, 
the  bloodiest  man  was  generally  considered 
the  best  dressed. 

The  dress  of  the  farmers  was  a  little  dif- 
ferent. In  place  of  the  hunting-shirt,  they 
had  a  sack-coat,  made  of  linsey.  In  place  of 
domestic  pants,  they  generally  wore  dressed 
buck  skin,  and  in  place  of  the  cap,  they  had 
the  palmetto  hat.  The  dressing  of  the  wom- 
en was  still  more  odd  and  singular.  They 
raised  their  own  cotton  and  flax,  spun  and 
wove  them  into  such  garments  as  they  need- 
ed. Six  yards  was  considered  an  extrav- 
agant amount  to  put  into  one  dress,  which 
was  made  plain,  with  two  widths  in  the 
skirt,  the  front  one  cut  gored.  The  waist 


86  THE   HISTORY   OP 

was  up  under  their  arms,  with  a  draw  string 
between  the  shoulders  behind.  The  sleeves 
were  made  very  large,  and  tapered  to  the 
wrist,  and  the  most  fashionable  had  these 
sleeves  filled  with  a  kind  of  pad  which 
made  them  look  like  a  bolster,  and  were 
called  "sheep  shank  sleeves."  Those  who 
could  afford  it,  used  feathers,  which  gave 
the  sleeve  the  appearance  of  an  inverted 
balloon  from  the  elbow  up,  and  were  called 
"pillow  sleeves."  Some  of  these  were  so 
large  that  they  almost  shut  out  the  face 
from  view,  and  extended  up  to  their  ears. 
Papers  were  used  in  absence  of  pads  and 
feathers.  Graceless  young  rascals  would 
speak  of  kissing  the  girls  at  parties  as 
"squeezing  the  pillows."  The  bonnet  was  a 
tow  bonnet,  made  of  splits;  but  the  most 
fashionable  wore  Leghorn  hats,  with  the 
brim  about  ten  inches  wide,  tied  up  with  a 
ribbon  in  a  bow-knot  on  top.  They  wore 
a  great  many  ribbons  and  bows,  but  no  jew- 
elry. If  a  girl  could  succeed  in  getting  a 
little  indigo  blue  in  her  tow  dress,  she  was 
considered  as  "putting  on  airs." 

The  tow  dress  was  superseded  by  the 
cotton  dress.  Their  petticoats  and  bed 
gowns  were  made  of  hnsey,  and  a  small  cop- 
peras handkerchief  filled  the  place  around 
the  neck  now  occupied  by  a  gorgeous  ring 
of  ruffles.    They  went  barefooted  in  sum- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  37 

mer.  In  winter  they  wore  moccasins  and 
shoe  packs.  A  very  nice  thing  compared 
with  the  elegant  Morocco  sHpper,  embossed 
with  bullion,  worn  now  by  their  grand- 
daughters. In  going  to  church  they  would 
carry  their  shoes  in  sight,  and  then  stop  and 
put  them  on.  The  coats  of  the  women  and 
the  hunting  shirts  of  the  men  were  hung  up- 
on wooden  pegs  around  the  walls  of  the 
cabin,  and  one  could  see  their  stock  in  this 
lino  at  a  glance.  They  had  none  of  the  ruf- 
fles, silk  hats,  curls,  combs,  rings  and  jew- 
els that  adorn  and  beautify  our  belles.  Many 
of  them  were  grown  before  they  ever  saw 
inside  of  a  store,  or  even  knew  that  there 
was  such  a  thing.  Instead  of  the  toilet,  they 
handled  the  wheel  and  shuttle.  Instead  of 
the  piano  and  guitar,  the  sickle  and  weeding 
hoe.  Instead  of  c4iallis  and  silk,  they  were 
contented  with  their  linsey  and  copperas- 
colored  tow  for  dresses,  and  to  cover  their 
heads  with  bonnets  made  with  five-hundred 
cotton  yard.  And  in  this  severe  simplicity 
they  lived  and  were  happy.  Their  hearts 
pulsed  in  responsive  beats  to  each  other's 
woes  and  were  borne  on  the  same  wave  of 
joy.  Reared  in  simplicity,  surrounded  by 
poverty,  cared  for  by  brave  parents,  their 
lives  were  one  long  dream  of  sunshine,  un- 
broken by  a  single  storm-cloud  poured  out 


38  THE  HISTORY  OF 

as  a  shameful  libation  to  dim  the  horizon  of 
their  happiness. 

In  1840,  the  styles  which  I  have  described 
were  nearly  all  gone,  and  those  of  the  pres- 
ent day  took  their  place.  The  gray  moss- 
covered  rocks,  the  aged  oak,  the  green  thick- 
et the  emerald  prairies  are  all  unchanged. 
Nature's  usual  robes  remain  the  same.  Man 
is  the  only  thing  in  Nature  that  changes  the 
styles  of  its  covering.  Probably  because 
originally  made  to  live  without  clothes,  and 
God  placed  them  on  him  because  of  his  sin, 
and  man,  finding  himself  in  an  unnatural 
condition,  has  ever  been  hard  to  please. 

OF  FURNITURE. 

Coming  here  as  the  early  settlers  did  in 
wagons,  over  execrable  roads,  they  could 
bring  no  furniture  with  them,  and,  conse- 
quently they  had  nothing  but  what  they 
made,  which  was  rude  enough.  Their  bed- 
steads consisted  of  a  fork  drove  in  the  ground 
and  poles  laid  in  it;  then  into  the  walls  of 
the  cabin.  This  was  covered  with  boards, 
and  these  with  straw,  deer  or  bear  skins. 
The  tables  were  made  of  boards  pegged  on 
to  a  frame  with  four  legs  crossing  each 
other  in  tTie  center  like  a  saw-buck.  The 
furniture  for  the  table  for  several  years 
consisted  of  a  few  pewter  dishes,  plates 
and  spoons,  but  mostly  of    wooden    bowls, 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  39 

trenchers  and  noggins.  If  these  were  not  to 
be  had,  gourds  and  hard-shelled  squashes 
were  used.  Some  few  people  used  the  delft 
ware,  but  it  was  considered  of  no  account 
by  many,  as  it  was  easily  broken — and  then 
it  dulled  their  scalping  and  clasp  knives. 
Tea  ware  was  too  small  for  men,  but  was 
good  enough  for  women  and  children.  Iron 
pets,  knives  and  forks  were  brought  here 
when  the  people  came.  Deer  skins,  stretch- 
ed over  a  hoop,  and  perforated  with  a  hot 
wire  were  used  as  a  sifter,  and  almost  every 
house  had  a  loom,  and  every  woman  was  a 
weaver. 

But  this  rude  and  noisy  furniture  has 
given  place  to  sewing  machines,  rose-wood 
pianos,  organs,  and  marble  tables,  which  are 
now  frequently  met  with.  All  kinds  of  edge 
tools  were  scarce  and  very  valuable  in  an 
early  day.  So  it  was  a  long  time  before  the 
carpenters  improved  on  the  furniture.  In 
1840,  at  least  two  turning  lathes  were  put 
up  in  the  county,  and  they  made  some  round 
bed  posts,  which  were  long  enough  for  flag 
poles. 

OF  DIET. 

For  a  while  after  our  fathers  came  here, 
they  had  some  of  the  provisions  which  they 
brought  with  them;  but  soon  they  were  cut 
off  from  all  supplies  but  those  which  Na- 


40  THE   HISTORY   OP 

ture  had  placed  within  their  reach,  and  such 
as  they  made  by  their  own  exertions.  If 
the  furniture  for  the  table  was  rude,  the 
articles  of  diet  corresponded  with  it.  Wild 
meats  were  plentiful.  Small  patches  of  corn 
were  raised,  which,  being  beaten  in  a  mor- 
tar, made  good  bread,  but  they  could  not 
shut  their  teeth  close  on  account  of  the  grit 
in  the  bread.  Hog  and  hominy  was  a  favor- 
ite dish,  as  was  also  hoecake  and  gravy. 
Johnny  cakes  and  pones  were  staples  for 
breakfast  and  dinner — milk  and  mush  were 
used  for  supper.  Fish,  of  course,  were 
abundant.  All  kinds  of  greens,  such  as 
dock,  and  polk,  were  eaten.  Roasting-ears, 
pumpkins,  beans,  squashes  and  potatoes 
were  raised  in  "truck  patches,"  and  used 
by  all.  The  pot-pie  was  the  standard  dish 
for  log-rollings  and  house  raisings.  Coffee 
and  tea  were  not  much  used  in  an  early  day 
— they  w^ere  thought  to  be  slops  that  would 
not  "stick  to  the  ribs."  The  genuine  back- 
woodsman would  say  that  they  were  good 
for  sick  women  and  children.  They  were 
surrounded  by  all  kinds  of  wild  fruits,  such 
as  grapes,  cherries,  plums,  paw-paws,  per- 
simmons, crabapples,  red  and  black  haws, 
and  berries.  These  fruits  still  grow  in 
great  abundance  in  this  county.  There  were 
both  butchers  and  cooks,  and  had  no 
"Bridgets"  or  waiting-girls.     With  refine- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  41 

ment  and  culture,  came  that  knowledge 
which  has  produced  that  variety  of  diet 
which  makes  the  Americans  the  most  inde- 
pendent people  on  earth. 

OF  MORALS. 

For  a  long  time  in  the  early  history  of 
our  county,  there  was  neither  law  nor  gos- 
pel, but  there  was  a  set  of  moral  maxims 
which  answered  the  place  of  law.  Every- 
body understood  what  was  right,  and  the 
man  who  did  not  do  this  was  looked  down 
upon.  For  instance,  it  was  a  duty  for  ev- 
ery man  to  help  fight  the  Indians,  or  help 
raise  houses;  if  he  refused,  he  need  not 
ask  men  to  help  him.  No  man  was  allowed 
to  draw  a  deadly  weapon  in  a  fight,  and  if 
he  did,  everybody  was  against  him.  They 
had  an  innate  or  hereditary  detestation  of 
the  crime  of  theft,  and  any  person  caught 
stealing  was  generally  doomed  to  carry  the 
"United  States  Flag  on  his  back,"  to-wit: 
thirteen  stripes.  Bastardy  was  an  offense 
of  rare  occurrence,  the  chivalrous  temper  of 
the  people  was  so  great  that  the  guilty  auth- 
or was  in  great  danger  of  personal  violence 
from  the  brothers  and  father  of  the  girl. 
Family  honor  was  then  esteemed  very  high- 
ly. People  in  those  days  had  a  great  deal  of 
veracity,  and  such  a  thing  as  perjury  was 
unknown,   until  that  unprincipled   class  of 


42  THE   HISTORY   OF 

citizens  which  I  mentioned  elsewhere,  sprang 
up  in  the  county.  Generally,  they  esteemed 
their  word  as  good  as  their  bond.  The  hunt- 
ing class,  as  the  game  began  to  get  scarce, 
were  mostly  idle  and  unoccupied,  and  the 
idleness  tempted  to  dissipation,  and  hence 
whisky  shops  gained  a  footing  in  the  county 
as  early  as  1835,  followed  by  shooting 
matches,  gander  pullings  and  horse  races, 
which  were  the  schools  in  which  their  ap- 
petites were  trained  and  nursed  into  mis- 
chief. When  intemperance  had  extended  its 
ravages,  profanity  overspread  the  country, 
which  before  was  unknown.  Licentiousness 
was  uncommon  among  the  early  settler,  but 
is  now  practiced  to  an  alarming  extent.  This 
is  caused  by  the  countenance  given  by  the 
public  to  those  men  who  lave  in  the  lecher- 
ous sea  of  prostitution. 

OF  HUNTING. 
From  1810  to  1835,  two-thirds  of  our 
fathers  followed  hunting  for  a  living,  and, 
consequently  they  never  made  anything;  but 
those  who  stuck  to  the  farms  are  the  wealthy 
ones  now.  The  hunters  cared  but  little  for 
worldly  honors  and  distinction,  and  scarcely 
ever  looked  to  the  future.  These  rangers 
of  the  woods  were  a  hardy  race,  accustomed 
to  labor  and  privation.  Their  forms  were 
developed  to  the  fullest  vigor ;  many  of  them 
idled  away  their  aimless  lives  on  the  fertile 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  43 

plains  that  lay  untilled  before  them,  follow- 
ing some  phantom  that  glowed  with  a 
treacherous  gleam  into  scenes  that  were  as 
false  as  their  pleasures  were  hollow. 

Early  hunters  were  more  like  the  prim- 
itive savage  than  any  other  men.  Their  hab- 
its and  characters  assumed  a  cast  of  sim- 
plicity mingled  with  ferocity,  taking  their 
colorings  from  the  scenery  and  objects  about 
them,  with  no  companion  but  Nature  and 
the  rifle.  By  natural  instinct  they  were 
ever  alive  to  guard  against  danger,  and  pro- 
vide food.  Great  observers  of  nature,  they 
livaled  the  beast  of  prey  in  discovering  the 
haunts  of  game  and  their  habits.  Callous 
to  the  feelings  of  danger,  by  constant  ex- 
posure they  feared  nothing.  Of  law  they 
knew  but  little;  their  wish  was  law,  and  to 
obtain  this  they  did  not  scruple  at  the  means 
or  cost;  but  these  strong,  active  honest 
backwoodsmen  were  firm  friends  and  gen- 
erous men.  Some  of  them  still  live  among 
us;  the  most  prominent  are  Hamilton  Cor- 
der,  James  Maneece,  Samuel  Russell  and 
William  Chitty.  But  that  bold  race  of 
which  they  are  specimens,  is  fast  passing 
away.  If  I  was  not  a  criminal  I  would  go 
to  them  for  relief,  but  if  I  was  a  criminal  1 
would  shun  their  eyes.  These  old  men  love 
to  retreat  to  the  forest  and  there  re- 
late their  hunting  scrapes.    They  were  dar- 


44  THE   HISTORY   OF 

ing  experts;  not  a  hole  in  the  county      but 
has  been  ransacked  by  these  hardy  men. 

They  knew  every  rock,  stream,  lake, 
shoal  and  valley  in  the  county.  They  have 
dropped  their  hooks  into  every  stream,  and 
set  their  traps  in  every  drift,  and  bayou.  All 
kinds  of  game  abounded  in  the  woods,  and 
all  kind  of  fish  flashed  their  silver  scales  in 
the  sun  on  the  bosom  of  our  waters.  They 
were  conversant  with  the  character  of  every 
animal,  fish  and  bird  in  the  country.  The 
regular  hunter  would  start  out  about  an 
hour  by  sun,  bending  his  course  towards  the 
setting  sun,  over  undulating  hills,  under  the 
shade  of  large  forest  trees,  beautifully  fes- 
tooned with  grape  vines  and  dark  deep  moss ; 
wading  through  rank  weeds  and  grass,  now 
viewing  some  winding  creek  doubtful  of  its 
course,  and  of  his  own,  his  restless  eye 
caught  everything  around.  The  guard  of 
his  own  safety,  relying  on  himself  for  pro- 
tection, and  at  every  step  the  strong  passions 
of  hope  and  fear  called  into  exercise,  he 
sought  ominous  presages  of  good  or  bad  luck 
in  everything  around.  The  croakings  of  the 
raven  and  the  howl  of  the  wolf  were  signs. 
A  turned  leaf  or  a  blade  of  grass  pressed 
down,  the  uneasiness  of  wild  animals,  flight 
of  birds  were  all  paragraphs  to  him.  These 
men  needed  fortitude  to  sustain  their  reflec- 
tions.   They  felt  the  pangs    which    solitude 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  45 

gives,  and  had  heaven  the  sigh  which  affec- 
tion prompted.  Beset  by  dangers,  despond- 
ency stood  ready  to  seize  their  souls.  Some- 
times they  would  go  where  there  was  an  is- 
land of  foliage  on  the  prairie,  standing  out 
of  the  low  billows  of  prairie  grass  that  serg- 
ed  away  till  the  feathery  tufts  broke  like 
foam  against  the  circles  of  the  horizon,  and 
their  eagle  eyes  swept  around  the  country 
for  game.  Sometimes  they  would  go  to 
green  thickets,  whose  solitary  loneness  was 
awful;  here  they  would  see  the  wolf  steal- 
ing through  the  gloom  aud  snuffing  the 
scent  of  the  intruder;  and  now  and  then  the 
blood-shot  eye  of  the  catamount  glare 
through  the  foliage.  Wolves  were  so  com- 
mon as  to  become  a  public  nuisance,  and  af- 
ter a  reward  of  one  dollar  a  scalp  was  of- 
fered for  their  scalps,  several  men  followed 
the  business  of  killing  them  for  a  living. 
They  had  dogs  trained  to  jump  the  wolf  and 
then  run  backward,  the  wolf  following  to 
where  the  hunter  lay  concealed.  Among  the 
most  noted  wolf  hunters  were  Gideon  Alex- 
ander, Parson  Crouch,  William  Chitty  and 
Jesse  Childers.  They  averaged  about  fif- 
teen wolves  a  day.  In  storms,  the  ravens 
were  seen  winging  their  way  to  cover;  the 
bench-legged  coyote  quickly  trotted  to  his 
hole;  the  piercing  cry  of  the  wolf  was  borne 
upon  the  winds,  but  the  fearless  hunter  was 


46  THE   HISTORY   OF 

not  disturbed  for  then  he  was  sure  of 
game.  Deer  licks  and  turkey  pens  were  a  com- 
mon thing  until  a  recent  day.  The  hunting  of 
wild  bees,  which  existed  here  in  countless 
millions,  was  a  daily  business.  Bear  hunt- 
ing was  a  dangerous  but  interesting  amuse- 
ment, and  continued  as  late  as  1845. 

OF  SPORTS. 
Our  fathers  indulged  in  many  rude  ath- 
letic sports,  which  have  long  since  given 
place  to  the  more  refined  amusements  of 
our  day.  As  long  as  a  higher  value  was  set 
on  physical  endowments  than  on  mental, 
these  rude  sports  were  continued.  Promi- 
nent among  them  was  horse-racing.  This 
Vas  carried  on  mostly  in  the  west  half  of 
the  county,  and  was  often  the  scene  of  blood- 
shed and  much  confusion.  Our  people  have 
not  entirely  outgrown  it  yet.  From  1820  to 
1830,  and  occasionally  since,  the  barbarous 
practice  of  gander-pullings  was  carried  on. 
It  was  regularly  kept  up  at  Josiah  Dillard's 
and  Solomon  Snider's,  at  Christmas  and  at 
all  large  gatherings.  The  way  they  were 
conducted  was  shameful  in  the  extreme. 
Plenty  of  whisky  was  first  provided,  then  a 
ponypurse  was  made  up,  or  a  premium  of- 
fered. A  gander  was  next  taken  and  his 
neck  thoroughly  soaped,  when  he  was  tied 
by  the  legs  to  a  springing-pole,  head  down- 
ward, eight  or  nine  feet  from  the    ground; 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  47 

the  riders  then  mounted  and  went  at  full 
speed;  one  man  stood  under  the  gander  with 
a  whip  to  keep  the  horses  going.  The  first 
man  who  got  hold  of  the  gander  generally 
turned  the  feathers  the  wrong  way  and  made 
neck  sleeker  than  ever.  The  gander  would 
flap  his  wings  and  squall  for  life,  when  an 
expert  rider  got  hold  of  him,  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  make  the  blood  grow  cold.  Some- 
times a  greedy  fellow  would  hold  on  until 
his  horse  ran  from  under  him,  and  then  he 
would  generally  strike  the  ground  with  that 
portion  of  his  body  which,  in  stooping  pos- 
ture, is  the  fairest  mark  for  assault.  Run- 
ning, jumping  and  wrestling  were  the  com- 
mon amusements  at  neighborhood  gather- 
ings, and  the  best  wrestler  and  fastest  run- 
ner were  men  of  notoriety.  Every  boy  had 
his  bow  and  arrow,  and  spent  a  great  part 
of  his  time  in  the  woods.  Skill  in  shooting 
with  the  bow  was  a  great  virtue.  The  hunt- 
ers learned  to  imitate  the  cry  of  all  kinds  of 
animals,  and  the  whistle  of  all  kinds  of 
birds.  To  bleat  hke  a  fawn,  howl  like  a  wolf 
or  gobble  like  a  turkey,  were  accomplish- 
ments common  among  all.  They  had  learned 
it  from  the  Indians.  Dancing  was  a  favorite 
amusement  with  the  people  of  the  west  side 
of  the  county.  Those  on  the  east  side  were 
not  noted  for  sports  of  any  kind,  but  were 
better  hunters.    At  all  weddings  and  house- 


48  THE   HISTORY   OF 

raisings  they  had  a  dance,  and  people  would 
come  twenty-five  miles  to  them.  They  knew 
nothing  of  the  waltz,  schottische  or  polka 
of  our  day;  but  the  "Irish  Trot,"  three  and 
four-handed  reels  and  jigs  were  tramped 
out  to  perfection.  Cottonpickings  were 
com.mon  in  an  early  day,  and  they  were  fol- 
lowed by  a  "play,"  where  the  boys  would 
kiss  the  girls  from  "Julius  Csesar"  to  the 
Fourth  of  July."  It  was  not  dishonorable, 
IjGcause  it  brought  no  bashful  blush  to  trip 
down  the  girls'  cheeks  in  stipple  dots;  but 
the  sweet,  love-pressed  smile  baptized  her 
ilps,  and  sent  an  electric  radiation  which 
caught  up  his  heart  and  made  it  dance  a 
polka  in  his  mouth.  Cards,  dice  and  other 
such  gam.bling  instruments,  were  wholly  un- 
known among  the  early  settlers;  but  from 
1835  to  1870,  were  used  by  a  large  number 
of  our  people.  Now  there  are  but  few 
gamblers  in  the  county.  Singings  were  of 
frequent  occurence  until  within  a  few  years. 
Fox-chases,  the  pride  of  every  sportsman, 
are  still  enjoyed  in  this  county.  General 
hunts, with  fifty  on  a  side,  were  practiced 
twenty-five  years  ago.  They  would  march 
through  the  woods  to  a  common  rendezvous, 
and  have  a  barbecue. 

OF  WEDDINGS. 
The  early  inhabitants  of  this  county  gen- 
erally married  young.    There  was  no  distinc- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  49 

tion  in  rank  or  class,  and  hence,  no  fetters 
on  alliances.  The  whole  neighborhood  was 
on  hand  at  a  wedding,  for  it  was  sui'e  to  be 
followed  by  a  dance  or  frolic;  and  that  too, 
without  the  labor  of  building  a  cabin  or 
planing  a  scout.  The  weddings  in  this  coun- 
ty were  conducted  in  other  respects  the  same 
at  this  day,  with  the  exception  of  the  time. 
They  were  then  always  celebrated  just  be- 
fore dinner,  and  the  parties  were  dressed  in 
home-made  clothes,  and  the  bride  wore 
buck-skin  gloves.  The  chase  after  'Black 
Betty,"  so  common  in  the  West  in  an  early 
day,  was  never  practiced  here.  After  the 
v/edding,  the  infare  was  celebrated,  then  a 
iv"jg  cabin  was  erected  by  the  neighbors  for 
the  young  couple. 

The  young  people  went  out,  one  by  one, 
from  the  happy  circles  of  their  fathers,  ex- 
changing a  place  beneath  the  old  roof  for  a 
new  and  untried  one  out  in  the  wild  world. 
To  them  it  was  the  balmy  time  of  life.  Hope 
carpeted  the  future  with  flowers;  all  was 
bright  by  the  anticipated  joy  of  the  future. 
They  were  our  fathers  and  mothers.  Some 
of  them  have  realized  their  fondest  hopes 
and  brightest  dreams,  amid  the  storms  that 
have  swept  along  the  tracks  of  life.  Others 
who  have  battled  long  in  winters'  cold  and 
summers'  heat,  have  ever  had  the  ghastly 
-F  5 


50  THE   HISTORY   OF 

spectre  of  poverty  at  their  sides,  pointing 
to  a  destiny  of  wretchedness  and  dispair 
while  the  sunny  side  of  life  was  in  view. 
Divorce  was  never  heard  of  among  the  first 
settlers  of  this  county,  but  as  the  practice 
of  marrying  has  been  kept  up  in  a  more  sii- 
ful  day,  the  practice  of  obtaining  divorces 
has  also  grown  up,  until  now,  it  is  spoken 
of  as  a  small  and  un-noticeable  event. 

WORKINGS. 

Workings  were  the  result  of  the  condi- 
tion of  the  country.  In  counties  where  they 
build  frame  ,  brick  or  adobe  houses,  no  con- 
siderable number  of  hands  are  necessary, 
but  in  the  forest,  where  they  raise  log  houses 
it  requires  a  large  number.  So,  on  the 
prairies,  where  there  are  no  logs  to  roll,  these 
workings  are  not  known;  but  where  the 
farms  are  cut  out  of  the  wilderness,  the 
farmer  needs  the  aid  of  his  neighbors  to 
roll  the  heavy  logs  together.  Then  the 
workings  were  those  of  planing  scouts,  cam- 
paigns, raising  log  cabins,  which  were  fol- 
lowed by  log-rollings,  wood-choppings,  rail- 
splittings  and  corn-shuckings.  At  these 
gatherings  they  always  had  a  good  time. 
Whiskey  was  provided,  or  no  work  done  cer- 
tain. These  workings  were  attended  by  all 
the  neighbors,  and  are  kept  up  unto  this 
day;  and  have  always  been  a  source  of  fun, 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  51 

amusement  and  mutual  benefit  to  our  peo- 
ple. 

SLAVERY. 
Illinois  Territory  was  a  slave  Territory, 
find  contained  several  hundred  slaves;  but 
the  Constitution  of  1818  prohibited  slavery 
within  the  State ;  and  provided  for  the  man- 
umition  of  the  slaves.  Most  of  the  citizens 
of  this  county  were  from  the  South ;  but  few 
of  them  brought  slaves  with  them.  Wad- 
kins  brought  a  negro  with  him,  which  he 
always  called  free,  and  Frank  Jordan  had 
two  negro  slaves,  and  the  excitement  on  the 
question  of  slavery  ran  very  high  until  1818. 
The  negroes  were  sometimes  kidnapped  and 
taken  South,  and  sold,  and  sometimes  taken 
East  and  freed.  When  the  state  was  ad- 
mitted, almost  all  the  negroes  were  taken  to 
Missouri  and  sold.  When  the  question  of 
slavery  was  settled  beyond  controversy, 
some  of  the  negroes  were  brought  back 
and  freed,  as  provided  by  law.  Alexander 
McCreery  went  to  Missouri  and  brought 
back  an  old  negress  slave  that  his  father  had 
owned.  He  also  bought  her  husband,  Rich- 
ard Inge,  out  of  slavery  for  $300,  and  set- 
tled them  upon  eighty  acres  of  land  which, 
by  frugality,  they  finally  paid  for,  and  are 
now  living  on,  in  the  northeast  part  of  this 
county.  Four  miles  southeast  of  Marion, 
the  Ellis'  settled  in  an  early  day.    They  lived 


UNIVERSITY  OF 
ILUNOIS  LIBRARY 


52  THE   HISTORY   OF 

quietly  and  raised  large  families.  These, 
and  a  few  negroes  in  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  county,  were  all  the  negroes  in  the  county 
until  after  the  war,  when  a  few  families 
settled  near  Marion.  It  was  a  presumption 
of  law  that  all  negroes  were  slaves,  and 
hence  they  could  not  settle  in  this  county 
without  providing  their  freedom.  About 
the  year  1857,  a  negro  girl,  living  near  Ma- 
rion, was  kidnapped  by  a  band  of  ruffians, 
who  started  South  with  her  to  sell  her  into 
bondage ;  but  such  a  thing  was  too  grating  to 
the  souls  of  our  people.  The  hue  and  cry 
was  levied,  and  she  was  rescued  from  the 
life  of  a  helpless,  toiling  slave,  and  restored 
to  that  liberty  and  freedom  which  God  gave 
to  all  nature. 

CHURCHES. 

The  first  church  built  in  this  county 
was  called  "Squat,"  and  was  located  on  what 
is  now  the  farm  of  Thomas  Sanders,  in  the 
year  1819.  It  is  now  greatly  decayed,  but 
enough  remains  to  show  that  it  was  a  house. 
The  next  church  was  ''Rich  Grove"  built  on 
Herrin's  Prairie,  in  1820.  It  was  a  regular 
Baptist  church,  and  Isaac  Herrin  was  its 
first  and  almost  only  preacher.  In  1823, 
the  Davis,  Corders  and  Parks  built  a  log 
church,  a  little  north  of  where  James 
Mayes  now  lives.    They  were  Baptists,  but 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  53 

had  no  minister,  only  as  Charles  Leel,  the 
celebrated  witch  master,  would  ride  down 
from  Hamilton  County.  In  1824  the  Metho- 
dists put  up  a  church  in  Northern.  The 
Burns  boys  were  good  howlers,  and  they  did 
the  principal  part  of  the  work.  Six  years 
afterward  it  was  burned  down.  The  first 
church  on  the  Eight  Mile  was  erected  near 
Samuel  Russell,  in  1836.  "Gum  Spring" 
Church,  in  Saline,  was  built  soon  after.  The 
"Old  Sweet  Gum"  was  built  in  Marion  in 
1847.  It  was  a  Baptist  church,  and  was 
soon  followed  by  a  Presbyterian  church. 
There  are  now  four  large  churches  in  Ma- 
rion :  A  Baptist,  a  Christian,  and  two  Metho- 
dists, and  the  county  is  well  supplied  with 
churches  in  every  part.  The  churches  in  an 
early  day  had  but  few  members,  but  they 
were  very  pious.  Our  fathers  had  their  first 
meetings  in  their  cabins,  but  as  the  county 
began  to  be  settled  up,  and  as  early  as  1835, 
they  held  campmeetings  in  the  groves,  the 
only  temples  built  by  God  himself,  and, 
therefore,  the  only  ones  worthy  of  Him;  foY 
there  the  beauties  of  nature  taught  them 
gratitude  and  adoration  towards  Him,  whom 
the  universe  worships.  The  religion  of 
those  days  was  more  practical  than  theor- 
etical. They  did  not  spend  their  time  in 
cavilings  about  "isms"  or  ordinances,  but 
went  quietly  along,  accepting  the  doctrine  as 


54  THE   HISTORY   OF 

preached,  adored  their  God,  cherished  their 
kind,  served  their  friends  and  country,  and 
lived  in  their  hves  that  religion,  engraven  on 
the  heart  of  the  author  of  these  words.  This 
was  the  religion  of  our  first  parents.  It  is 
yours.  It  is  mine.  It  is  the  religion  of  all 
ages  and  all  people.  Sages  have  never  ceas- 
ed to  worship  in  silence  this  religion.  While 
fanatics  and  fools  have  tinged  the  earth  with 
blood  of  men  by  discussions  and  religious 
disputes,  they  have  laid  aside  systems  and 
applied  themselves  to  doing  good,  the  only 
road  to  happiness.  The  preachers  claimed 
to  hold  their  commission  to  preach  from 
God,  who  had  given  them  tongues  to  adore 
Him,  and  hands  to  help  in  their  race,  and 
hence  they  were  listened  to  as  men  "having 
authority."  The  early  piety  and  simple  faith 
of  our  fathers  have  not  been  duplicated  by 
our  generation,  partly  because  many  min- 
isters have  sprung  up  who,  if  they  were  call- 
ed to  preach  at  all,either  entered  upon  the 
work  before  the  time,  or  are  wholly  unfit  to 
preach  for  the  want  of  sense,  education  or 
other  qualifications ;  and  partly  on  account  of 
the  change  in  our  life  which  has  unfettered 
the  mind  of  many,  and  caused  them  to  throw 
off  the  dogmas  and  superstitions  of  early 
days,  such  as  witchcraft,  etc.,  and  assume  a 
station  above  the  vale  of  serfdom,  far  upon 
the  plains  of  common  sense. 


. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  55 

Though  these  men  were  plain,  unassum- 
ing and  firm  behevers  in  religion,  the  keen 
crack  of  a  rifle  on  Sunday  was  neither  of- 
fensive or  unusual.  They  generally  went 
to  church  with  their  dogs  and  guns,  and 
perhaps  killed  a  deer  on  the  way.  And  as  I 
have  said,  the  bloodiest  man  was  the  best 
dressed.  They  carried  their  guns  to  church 
partly  for  protection,  and  partly  to  provide 
food  for  dinner.  The  camp-meetings  were 
held  in  the  fall,  and  lasted  for  two  or  four 
weeks.  The  entire  family  took  their  beds 
and  provisions,  and  moved  into  log  camps 
erected  near  the  "shed,"  which  was  a  large 
roof  set  on  high  posts,  and  the  floor  was 
covered  with  straw.  They  always  had  a 
good  time  at  these  meetings,  and  could  be 
heard  for  a  great  distance  singing  and 
praising  God.  Most  every  pious  person 
shouted  in  those  days;  none  were  afraid  to 
shout.  It  was  a  grand  and  solemn  scene; 
away  at  midnight  some  one  would  get  relig- 
ion, and  the  shouting  break  out  anew,  and 
hundreds  of  people  might  be  seen  in  every 
conceivable  stage  of  excitement,  some 
down  by  saplings,  some  on  their  knees, 
some  running,  jumping  and  hallooing  at  the 
top  of  their  voices,  and  all  giving  vent  to' 
sundry  expletives  of  praise  and  adoration. 
Such  was  the  effect  of  this  early  pulpit 
orator  that  none  could  long  resist  their  stir- 


56  THE   HISTORY   OF 

ring  appeals,  and  the  terrible  doom  which 
they  pronounced  against  the  ungodly.  But 
these  early  hallucinations  have  rapidly 
passed  away,  and  will  soon  be  numbered 
among  the  things  that  were.  The  faith  in 
Christ  still  remains  firm  and  unalterable, 
but  the  more  boisterous  and  noisy  devotion- 
al exercises  are  heard  and  seen  only  in  a 
few  places.  That  religion  which  was  the 
hope  and  consolation  of  our  fathers  is 
passing  away,  and  cold,  constrained,  phleg- 
matic formalism  taking  its  place  too  much. 
The  churches  of  this  county  are  many  and 
prosperous,  and  have  exerted  an  influence 
in  subordinating  wickedness,  encouraging 
education  and  morality.  But  I  met  some 
old  men  who  told  me  that  in  the  early  day, 
when  they  neither  had  gospel  nor  meetings 
that  the  people  were  peaceable,  friendly  and 
happy;  and  as  soon  as  preachers  came  into 
the  country  they  got  up  "isms,"  "sects"  and 
"systems,"  which  ended  in  jars  and  feuds 
among  the  people,  and  that  they  have  never 
seen  any  peace  since.  A  diversity  of  opinion 
engenders  strife  and  ill  will,  and  these  de- 
story  peace.  A  genuine  system  of  religion 
ought  not  to  produce  a  diversity  of  opinion. 

OF  MILLS. 

The  first  machinery  used  by  our    fathers 
for  making  meal,  was  the  hominy  block  or 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  57 

mortar.  It  was  made  of  a  large  block  of 
wood,  three  feet  long,  with  an  excavation 
burned  in  one  end,  wide  at  the  top,  and  nar- 
row at  the  bottom,  so  that  the  action  of  thq 
pestle  on  the  bottom  threw  the  corn  up  the 
sides,  from  which  it  continually  fell  to  the 
center.  When  the  corn  was  soft,  the  mor- 
tar did  very  well  for  making  meal,  but  was 
slow  work  when  it  was  hard.  They  some- 
times used  a  sweep  of  springing,  elastic 
wood,  thirty  feet  long,  to  lessen  the  toils  of 
pounding  the  grain.  When  the  corn  was  too 
soft  to  be  beaten,  a  still  more  simple  ma- 
chine than  the  mortar  was  used.  It  was  the 
grater,  a  half  circular  piece  of  tin,  perforat- 
ed with  a  punch  from  the  concave  side,  and 
nailed  by  its  edges  to  a  block  of  wood,  when 
the  ear  of  corn  was  rubbed  on  the  rough 
edges  of  the  holes,  and  the  meal  fell  through 
on  a  board  and  was  discharged  into  a  bowl. 
The  mortar  has  not  been  used  in  this  county 
since  1827 ;  but  the  grater  was  used  as  late  as 
1855.  Hand  mills  came  into  use  about  1820, 
and  were  better  than  the  grater  or  mortar. 
They  were  made  of  two  circular  stones, 
placed  in  a  hoop,  and  a  staff  was  let  into  a 
hole  in  the  upper  runner,  near  the  outer  edge 
and  the  upper  end,  through  a  hole  in  a  board 
fastened  to  the  joist.  Two  persons  could 
work  at  it  at  once.  The  grain  was  put  in  by^ 
hand.    These  mills  are  still  in  use  in  Pales< 


58  THE   HISTORY   OF 

tine.  It  was  a  mill  of  this  kind  that  Jesus 
Christ  alluded  to  when,  in  speaking  of  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  he  said:  "Two 
women  shall  be  grinding  at  a  mill;  the  one 
shall  be  taken  and  the  other  left."  The  firs^ 
horse-mill  built  in  this  county  was  built  by 
Ragsdale  Rollins,  in  1817,  on  the  north  side 
of  Phelps'  Prairie.  It  was  a  new  thing,  and 
people  went  a  long  way  to  see  it.  In  1822, 
Solomon  Snider  removed  it  to  the  west  side 
of  Eight  Mile.  William  Burns  built  the 
next  one  in  1819,  in  the  Burns'  Settlement. 
He  also,  in  the  same  year,  put  up  the  first 
cotton-gin  in  the  county. 

The  next  cotton-gin  was  put  up  by  Jona- 
than Herrin,  on  the  Billiard  farm  in  1825. 
At  this  time  they  used  to  go  to  "Harmony 
Town"  Indiana,  for  carding.  Delilah  Har- 
rison, mother  of  D.  R.  Harrison,  remem-i 
bers  this  occurrence  well.  About  that  time 
the  Burnes  put  up  their  mill,  Martin  Dun^ 
can  built  one  on  the  north  edge  of  Phelp's 
Prairie.  Burnes  had  improved  his  mill  so 
that  by  1830  he  could  grind  twenty-five 
bushels  of  corn  a  day,  and  his  boys  would 
take  meal  on  horse  back  to  Equality,  forty 
miles,  and  swap  it  for  salt.  In  1823  John 
Roberts  put  up  a  horse  mill  on  his  farm.  In 
1823  John  Lamb  built  a  mill  on  Herrin'^ 
Prairie,  which  was  afterwards  removed  by 
Jasper  Grain  to  Phelp's  Prairie.    About  the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  59 

year  1825,  George  Davis  put  up  a  mill  on 
the  Erwin  farm,  and  in  a  few  years  Stephen 
Stilly  built  one  at  his  residence.  Soon  after 
this  McDonald  built  the  first  water  or  tub 
mill,  on  the  Saline  in  the  Tanner  settlement. 
The  next  was  built  by  George  Davis.  Seven 
years  later,  John  Davis  built  the  third,  now 
known  as  the  Sims  mill.  Still  later,  Stephen 
Blair  put  up  a  water  mill  on  Big  Muddy.  In 
1838  William  Ryburn  built  a  good  horse- 
mill  on  the  Eight  Mile,  and  Yost  built  one  in 
Marion.  The  first  steam-mill  was  built  by 
Milton  Mulkey  in  Marion  in  1845.  The  next 
by  Erwin  and  Furlong,  in  1856,  at  Crab 
Orchard.  In  1862  Herrins,  Polk  and  Harrison 
built  the  Herrin  Prairie  mill.  In  1870,  Mann 
and  Edward  built  a  large  woolen  manufac- 
tory. Now  the  county  is  well  supplied  with 
both  saw  and  flouring  mills. 

OF  PESTILENCE. 

This  county  has  suffered  less  from  pes- 
tilence, failures  and  drouth  than  any  county 
in  the  state.  The  seasons  are  good,  and  peo- 
ple generally  healthy.  The  doctor  bills  for 
the  entire  county  do  not  exceed  $40,000  a 
year.  The  cholera  made  its  first  appear- 
ance in  July  1849,  but  caused  only  a  few 
deaths.  It  re-appeared  in  1866,  and  lasted 
for  six  weeks,  during  which  over  twenty- 
five  persons  were  taken  away,  and  the  city 


60  THE    HISTORY   OP 

of  Marion  vacated.  Among  the  deceased 
were  the  three  beautiful  Ferguson  girls,  la- 
dies without  parallel  in  all  the  arena  of 
beauty  and  refinement.  The  small-pox  has 
visited  this  county  on  several  occasions,  but 
never  resulting  in  many  deaths  until  1873, 
when  a  good  many  died  in  the  south  side  of 
the  county.  The  mortality  rate  in  this 
county,  on  a  basis  of  population  of  23,000  is 
three  per  cent. 

OF  WITCHES. 

The  belief  in  witchcraft  prevailed  to  a 
great  extent  in  the  east  side  of  this  county 
in  an  early  day.  To  the  witch  was  ascribed 
the  usual  powers  of  inflicting  strange  dis- 
eases destroying  cattle  by  shooting  them 
with  a  ball  of  hair,  and  inflicting  curses  and 
spells  on  guns.  More  ample  powers  for  mis- 
chief can  not  be  imagined.  The  means  by 
which  the  v/itch  inflicted  these  diseases 
were  one  of  the  hidden  mysteries  which  no 
one  but  the  witch  understood;  and  no  won- 
der, for  there  never  existed  any  such  power 
on  earth. 

The  way  they  got  to  be  witches  was  by 
drawing  their  own  blood,  writing  their  own 
names  in  it,  and  giving  it  to  the  devil,  thus 
making  a  league  with  him.  From  1818  to 
1835,  there  were  a  great  many  witches  in 
this  county.  The  most  noted  one  was  an  old 
lady  by  the  name  of  Eva  Locker,  who  lived 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  61 

on  Davis'  prairie.  She  could  do  wonders, 
and  inflict  horrible  spells  on  the  young, 
such  as  fits,  twitches,  jerks  and  such  like; 
and  many  an  old  lady  took  the  rickets  at  the 
mere  sound  of  her  name.  When  she  inflict- 
ed a  dangerous  spell,  the  parties  had 
to  send  to  Hamilton  county  for  Charley 
Lee,  the  great  witch-master  to  cure  them. 
This  he  did  by  shooting  her  picture  with  a 
silver  ball  and  some  other  foolery.  It  was  a 
nice  sight  to  see  this  old  fool  set  up  his  board 
and  then  measure,  point  and  cypher  around 
like  an  artillery  man  planting  his  battery, 
while  the  whole  family  were  standing  around 
veiled  and  with  the  solemnity  and  anxiety  of 
a  funeral. 

None  of  the  wizards  of  this  county  could 
do  anything  with  Eva.  They  had  to  pale 
their  intellectual  fires  and  sink  into  insig- 
nificance before  the  great  wizard  of  Hamil- 
ton County.  When  a  mian  concluded  that 
his  neighbor  was  killing  too  many  deer 
around  his  field,  he  would  spell  his  gun, 
which  he  did  by  going  out  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and,  on  hearing  the  crack  of  his  rifle 
he  walked  backward  to  a  hickory  wythe, 
which  he  tied  in  a  knot  in  the  name  of  the 
devil.  This  rendered  the  gun  worthless  un- 
til the  knot  was  untied,  or  it  might  be  taken 
off  by  putting  nine  new  pins  in  the  gun  and 
fining  it  with  a  peculiar  kind  of  lye,  cork- 


62  THE   HISTORY   OF 

ing  it  up  and  setting  it  away  for  nine  days. 
One  old  man  told  me  he  tried  this,  and  it 
broke  the  spell.  He  had  drawn  right  down 
on  a  deer  just  before  that,  not  over  twenty 
steps  distant,  and  never  cut  a  hair.  Cows, 
when  bewitched,  would  go  into  mud  holes 
and  no  man  could  drive  them  out;  but  the 
wizard,  by  laying  the  open  Bible  on  their 
backs,  could  bring  them  out ;  or  cut  the  curls 
out  of  their  forehead  and  their  tails  off,  and 
put  nine  pins  in  their  tail  and  burn  the  curls 
with  a  poker.  This  would  bring  the  witch 
to  the  spot,  and  then  the  matter  was  settled 
in  the  way  our  fathers  settled  their  busi- 
ness. Witches  were  said  to  milk  the  cows 
of  the  neighbors  by  means  of  a  towel  hung 
up  over  the  door,  when  the  milk  was  extract- 
ed from  the  fringe.  If  such  deviltry  was 
practiced  now-a-days,  the  parties  would  be 
arrested  for  stealing.  In  place  of  having  a 
herd  of  bob-tailed  cows,  we  have  laws 
against  cruelty  to  animals.  There  was  an 
idea,  too,  that  if  you  read  certain  books  used 
by  the  Hard-shell  Baptists,  that  the  devil 
would  appear.  Happily  for  the  honor  of 
human  nature,  the  belief  in  those  foolish 
and  absurd  pretentions  has  been  discontinu- 
ed, for  forty  years  by  an  enlightened  public. 
Medical  science  has  revealed  remedies  for 
those  strange  diseases  whose  symptoms 
were  so  little  understood.     The  spell     has 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  63 

been  broken  from  the  gun  forever  by  un- 
tieing the  knot  of  ignorance,  and  letting  the 
light  of  reason  flood  the  mind.  The  practice 
of  finding  water  by  means  of  a  forked 
switch  flourished  from  1850  to  1860;  but 
was  so  palpably  silly  that  it  died  without 
opposition. 

OF  SCHOOLS. 

The  first  schools  were  taught  by  sub- 
scription, for  three  months  during  the  fall. 
The  first  school  house  was  built  in  1825, 
and  others  soon  followed.  Some  of  the  first 
school  houses  were  built  of  gum  logs,  which 
sprouted  and  had  to  be  cleared  about  once 
a  year.  The  first  teachers  taught  spelling, 
reading  and  writing;  but  in  1840,  a  few  fine 
scholars  came  into  the  county  who  under- 
stood grammar  and  arithmetic.  The  free- 
school  law  met  a  heavy  opposition  from  some 
of  our  old  men,  and,  notwithstanding  our 
school  system  has  exerted  a  powerful  influ- 
ence in  civilizing  the  county,  yet  it  is  still 
defective.  We  want  better  talent  in  our 
teachers  and  more  of  it.  A.  N.  Lodge,  the 
present  superintendent,  has  lifted  up  the 
sick  form  of  our  system,  renovated  and  in- 
fused new  life  and  destiny  in  it,  until  it  is  in 
a  better  condition  than  ever  before;  but  it 
still  needs  talent. 

OF  SECRET  ORDERS. 

In  1833,  Picayune  Davis    ran  a    clande- 


64  THE    HISTORY    OF 

stine  Masonic  lodge  at  his  house,  two  miles 
west  of  Marion.  He  initiated  everybody, 
and  a  gallon  of  whisky  was  the  fee.  All  the 
horse-thieves  in  the  county  belonged  to  this 
lodge,  and  in  that  day  it  was  a  powerful 
evil  in  shielding  scoundrels  and  criminals. 

In  1850,  Fellowship  Lodge  of  A.  F.  &  A. 
Masons  was  chartered  in  Marion.  Since  then 
Chapter  No.  100  has  been  chartered  and  a 
Council  also.  There  are  now  five  other 
lodges  in  the  county.  The  Odd  Fellows  have 
five  lodges  in  this  county.  In  1856  the 
Know-Nothings  numbered  about  one  hun- 
dred. In  1862  the  Golden  Circle  reached  a 
membership  of  over  eight  hundred,  and  in 
1864  the  Union  League  numbered  over  twelve 
hundred.  In  1872,  the  Ku-Klux  numbered 
one  hundred  and  thirty  members;  but  the 
same  year  they  were  broken  up,  and  did  not 
meet  again  until  1874,  when  a  few  of  them 
formed  a  Klan  in  the  west  side  of  the  county. 
The  Grange  was  introduced  in  1874,  and 
has  since  spread  rapidly  among  our  farmers. 
OF  LAND  TITLES. 

Land  was  the  object  which  brought  our 
fathers  into  this  wilderness,  and  they  set- 
tled wherever  they  saw  fit.  Their  first  title 
to  the  land  was  the  "Tomahawk  Right," 
which  was  by  blazing  trees  around  the  line, 
or  cutting  the  name  on  a  tree  by  a  spring 
on  the  tract.    The  lands  lay  in  an  irregular 


WILUAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  65 

jjhape,  but  all  disputes  were  settle  amicably. 
After  the  Government  survey,  the  Toma- 
hawk title  became  worthless;  but  the  set- 
tler had  the  right  of  pre-emption. 

OF  THE  PRODUCTS. 

The  early  settlers  made  no  change  in  the 
county,  and, consequently,  there  were  no 
products.  A  people  clothed  in  skins  and  de- 
pending on  the  products  of  the  hunt  and  the 
spontaneous  abundance  of  nature,  could 
maintain  existence  and  a  rude  social  organi- 
zation amid  the  forest,  without  manual  la- 
bor. They  lived  rich  in  hope,  but  poor  in 
worldly  goods.  Industry  was  consequently 
paralyzed  by  the  absence  of  necessity.  Agri- 
culture was  but  little  encouraged  for  a  long 
time,  either  by  the  industry  of  the  people 
or  the  policy  of  the  times.  It  was  limited  to 
a  few  patches  of  corn  and  wheat,  which 
were  cultivated  with  wooden  plows,  and  it 
was  as  late  as  1830  before  the  farmers  pro- 
duced anything  for  market.  Money  was 
very  scarce.  When  the  few  coins  which  the 
settlers  brought  with  them  had  been  expend- 
ed in  the  purchase  of  guns  and  ammunition 
from  Kentucky,  and  other  places,  they  had 
nothing  to  buy  the  necessities  of  life  with, 
say  nothing  of  the  luxuries.  So,  they  by  mu- 
tual consent,  established  a  custom  of  barter- 
-F  6 


66  THE   HISTORY   OF 

ing  articles  of  property,  either  at  "trade 
rates"  or  "cash  price."  Some  articles  were 
very  valuable  and  others  shockingly  low.  A 
gun  from  Tennessee  was  current  at  $25.00  in 
trade;  a  sow  and  pigs  at  $2.00;  a  cow,  at 
from  $4.00  to  $8.00.  Hamilton  Corder  once 
bartered  horses  with  a  man  and  got  ten 
cows  and  calves  to  boot.  Pretty  large 
boot  when  we  consider  that  the  cows  would 
now  be  worth  more  than  both  the  horses.  An 
ax  was  sold  for  $4.00,  and  a  home  made  one 
at  that. 

So,  anything  that  required  a  mechanic  to 
produce  was  high,  but  such  articles  as  re- 
quired no  skillful  hand  to  produce,  were  very 
low.  Hogs  were  scarce  in  an  early  day,  and 
it  was  a  long  time  before  they  got  a  start  to 
raising  them.  They  ran  in  the  woods,  and  as 
late  as  1850  nearly  everybody  had  what  he 
called  his  "wild  hog  claim."  This  claim  en- 
titled him  to  go  into  the  woods  and  catch  and 
mark  every  hog  he  could,  once  a  year.  These 
claims  were  negotiable,  and  were  often 
bought  and  sold;  but  got  very  cheap  before 
they  were  all  extinguished.  A  wild-hog 
claim  in  Big  Muddy,  or  Pond,  or  Crab-Orch- 
ard bottoms  was  at  one  time  very  valuable; 
but  their  conflicting  claims  were  often  the 
cause  of  animosities,  feuds  and  riots  among 
our  people.  Some  one  had  marked  hogs  al- 
ready marked,  or  some  one  had  been  steal- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  67 

ing  and  selling,  and  so  there  was  a  continued 
feud  and  fuss.  Then  it  was  the  great  hive 
from  which  sprung  the  innumerable  number 
of  "hog  thieves"  which  were  so  common 
here  once.  But  they  are  all  gone  now.  The 
extinguishment  of  the  claims  ushered  in  an 
era  of  peace;  feelings  of  safety  and  friend- 
ship were  enkindled.  For  the  last  sixteen 
years  this  county  has  annually  produced 
1,000  hogs  for  market,  about  1,000  head  of 
beef  cattle.  During  the  war  there  were 
no  less  than  2,000  horses  and  mules  bought 
in  this  county  for  Government  service.  It 
is  also  a  sheep-producing  country,  and  has 
some  of  the  finest  breeds  in  America.  Among 
the  mechanical  productions,  the  first  was 
the  manufacture  of  hats  by  Aaron  Young- 
blood,  in  an  early  day.  This  was  followed 
by  a  shop  at  Bainbridge,  run  by  Samuel 
Dunaway,.  who  furnished  hats  for  the  whole 
country.  Nearly  everybody  tanned  their 
own  leather.  The  tan-vat  was  a  large 
trough,  sunk  to  the  upper  rim  in  the  ground, 
bark  was  pounded  fine  and  put  in.  The 
hair  was  taken  off  with  lime,  and  lard  was 
used  in  place  of  fish  oil  to  soften  the  leather, 
and  soot  to  blacken  it.  All  the  shoes  were 
home-made  up  to  1850;  though  the  state  of 
society  called  out  every  mechanical  and  in- 
ventive genius,  yet  the  shoes  would  turn 
green  in  wet  weather,  and  the  soles  try  to 


68  THE   HISTORY   OF 

get  on  top.  Nearly  all  the  wagons  were 
made  in  the  county,  as  were  also  the  looms, 
wheels  and  farming  tools. 

Thousands  of  pounds  of  pennyroyal  oil, 
mint  oil,  and  sassafras  oil  are  annually  pro- 
duced in  this  county.  The  first  settlers 
raised  a  great  amount  of  cotton  for  clothing. 
It  was  the  main  crop  until  1840,  when  our 
people  commenced  to  raise  tobacco  as  a 
money  crop.  The  usual  crop  of  tobacco 
amounts  to  1500  hogsheads,  averaging  1500 
pounds  each.  Cotton  was  extensively  culti- 
vated during  the  war,  but  now  there  is  very 
little  raised;  the  average  is  400  pounds  per 
acre.  In  ordinary  seasons  the  wheat  crop 
averages  about  15  bushels  per  acre;  corn 
about  forty;  hay  about  two  tons  per  acre. 
Castor  beans  are  also  cultivated.  And  all 
kinds  of  fruits  and  berries  have  been  propo- 
gated  for  over  twenty  years.  Poultry  is  al- 
so a  large  source  of  income  to  our  people. 
The  sale  of  eggs  alone  reaches  40,000  dozen 
annually.  In  1872,  the  Carbondale  Coal  and 
Coke  Company  was  organized,  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $50,000,  and  have  been  shipping 
coal  from  Carterville,  in  this  county,  at  the 
rate  of  60,000  tons  per  annum. 

OF  PROGRESS. 

The  causes  which  led  to  the  civilization 
and  prosperity  of  this  county  deserve  some 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  69 

consideration  in  this  book.  The  state  of 
society  and  the  manners  of  the  early  settlers 
were  indeed  low  enough ;  they  were  poor  and 
illiterate,  and  addicted  to  the  rude  diversions 
which  I  have  described.  So  little  progress 
was  made  that,  in  1826,  sixteen  years  after 
the  first  settlement,  the  total  value  of  the 
real  and  personal  estate  was  only  $19,500, 
or  about  the  value  of  Goodall  &  Campbell's 
storehouse.  No  county  in  the  state  was  set- 
tled on  so  little  capital  as  was  this.  The 
immigrants  generally  paid  his  last  money 
for  crossing  the  Ohio.  I  have  been  unable  to 
find  a  man  in  the  county  worth  $1,000  un- 
til after  1830 ;  but  the  increase  since  then 
has  been  marvelous.  Today  the  county  is 
worth  over  seven  millions  of  dollars.  The 
constant  travel  and  intercourse  with  other 
counties  gave  a  new  current  to  public  and 
private  feeling,  and  new  life  to  pursuit.  The 
schools  and  the  Gospel  have  had  much  to  do 
in  civilizing  this  county;  but  the  enforce- 
ment of  good  laws  has  been  the  most  ef- 
fective means  of  making  men  better. 
As  early  as  1830,  the  huntsmen  began  to 
change  their  clothes  for  those  of  the  farmer. 
Tre  rude  sports  were  giving  place  to  the 
more  noble  ambition  for  mental  endow- 
ments and  skill  in  the  arts.  Industry  took 
the  place  of  idleness.  The  clamorous  boast, 
the  horrid  oaths,  the  provoking  banter  and 


70  THE   HISTORY   OF 

the  biting  sarcasm  have  given  place  to  cour- 
tesy and  a  conversation  enlivened  by  silence 
and  chastened  by  moral  culture.  The  three- 
legged  stools,  moggins,  trenchers  and  wood- 
en bowls  gave  way  to  the  furniture  of  our 
day.  The  "tents,"  "lodges,"  wigwams," 
"stockades"  and  "log-cabins"  have  given 
place  to  the  splendid  mansions  that  now 
adorn  our  county.  The  first  cabins  had  the 
"stack"  chimney,  and  in  a  few  years,  when 
the  man  got  able,  he  built  another  house  to 
the  chimney,  and  that  is  why  our  log-houses 
are  double  and  one  larger  than  the  other. 
The  Benson  House,  in  Marion,  was  of  that 
kind. 

The  first  brick  house  built  in  the  county 
is  in  Schoharrie  Prairie,  and  was  built  in 
1840  by  James  M.  Campbell.  It  is  still 
standing,  but  the  second  story  was  blown 
down  in  May,  1876.  It  is  in  the  most  beau- 
tiful spot  in  the  county,  and  ought  to  be 
haunted,  because  it  does  not  decay.  The 
powers  of  darkness  must  watch  over  it,  and 
by  invisible  means,  prop  its  crumbling  walls 
and  replace  its  falling  brick.  Schoharrie,  so 
named  from  the  fact  that  a  band  of  disguis- 
ed men  were  once  whipping  a  hog-thief  in 
it,  and  one  of  them  kept  crying  out  "Score 
him,  Harry!"  The  next  brick  building  was 
the  Court  House  in  1841,  and  the  Western 
Exchange,  in  1842.    The  first  business  house 


WILUAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  71 

in  Marion  was  built  by  John  (Bone)  Davis, 
when  the  town  was  located.  He  was  in 
such  a  hurry  to  sell  whisky  that  he  bought 
a  set  of  stable  logs  from  A.  T.  Benson,  and 
put  up  on  the  square,  a  few  feet  north  of 
the  well.  When  the  town  was  surveyed  he 
fell  into  the  square  and  had  to  move.  He 
used  to  fasten  his  door  by  filling  it  with 
poles.  Sterling  Hill's  grocery  was  the  next, 
and  is  still  standing.  D.  L.  Fully  put  up  a 
grocery  on  the  Westbrooks  corner,  and  J. 
D.  Pully  built  "Our  House,"*  on  the  west 
side.  John  Sparks  put  up  a  hat  shop  on 
the  north-east  corner.  The  first  store  in 
the  county  was  kept  at  Bainbrldge  in  1818, 
by  Mr.  Kipp.  The  next  by  John  Davis,  on 
the  Sampson  Bell  place,  in  1821.  Then 
Thompson  put  up  one  where  Mr.  Small  now 
lives.  Coffee  was  75  cents  per  pound,  and 
calico  50  cents  per  yard.  Thompson  was 
succeeded  by  Warren  Spiller,  and  he  by 
Cripps.  In  1836  Hugh  Parks  put  up  a  store 
where  Crossley  now  lives.  In  the  same  year, 
Wm.  Ryburn  commenced  keeping  goods  at 
the  Hinchcliff  farm.  In  1830  John  Davis 
opened  out  at  Sarahsville,  and  in  1848  John 
H.  Mulkey  and  George  Aiken  went  into  busi- 
ness at  Blairsville.  In  1856  Oliver  Herring 
had  a  store  in  Herrin's  Prairie,  and  two 
years  later,  D.  R.  Harrison  commenced  in 
the  same  house,  and  is  now  one  of  the  most 


72  THE   HISTORY   OF 

wealthy  and  respectable  citizens  of  the 
county.  In  1857  Erwin  and  Furlong  com- 
menced business  in  Crab  Orchard.  The  first 
store  was  put  up  in  Marion  by  Joshua  Mul- 
key  in  1840,  the  next  by  Robert  Hooper. 
Groceries  were  always  plenty,  the  licenses 
varying  from  $25.00  in  1839  to  $500.00  in 
1864.  There  have  been  no  saloons  in  the 
county,  except  at  Carterville,  since  1872. 
General  Davis,  who  was  one  of  the  best 
friends  the  county  ever  had,  ran  a  still-house 
and  saloon  until  in  1837,  when  John  Netw- 
man  got  drunk  and  the  hogs  ate  him;  and 
in  1838,  Essex  Edmonson  got  drunk  and 
rode  off  into  the  Saline  and  froze  to  death. 
About  this  time  Davis  went  to  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  while  there,  heard  A.  Lincoln  de- 
liver a  lecture  on  temperance.  He  came 
home  and  closed  the  door  of  his  saloon  for- 
ever. J.  T.  Goddard  commenced  selling 
whisky  in  Bainbridge  in  1841,  and  finally 
got  to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  men.  Soon 
after  Samuel  Dunaway  put  up  a  store  and 
is  now  the  richest  man  in  the  county. 

Marion  was  first  incorporated  in  1851, 
but  soon  ran  down.  Again  in  56  but  again 
run  down.  Then  in  1865  by  spe- 
cial Act,  and  in  1873  organized  as  a  city 
under  the  general  laws  of  the  State.  It  has 
now  about  1,200  inhabitants,  and  has  eight 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  73 

business  houses,  costing,  on  an  average, 
$11,000. 

Crab  Orchard  was  incorporated  in  1867, 
but  two  years  afterwards  disorganized.  It 
has  about  300  population. 

Jeffersonville  is  a  prosperous  Httle  vil- 
lage, in  the  north  side  of  the  county,  com- 
monly called  "Shake  Rag,"  so  called  from  the 
fact  that  in  an  early  day  a  man  kept  a 
"bhnd  tiger"  in  a  low,  flat-roofed  mud 
house  there.  When  he  had  whisky  he  would 
stick  a  stick  through  the  roof  with  a  rag  on 
it.  As  parties  ascended  the  hill  on  either  side, 
they  looked  to  see  if  the  rag  was  shaking ;  if 
not,  then  there  was  no  whisky.  All  the 
whisky  of  that  day  was  of  the  meanest  kind 
imaginable. 

Carterville  is  a  village  of  500  citizens, 
which  sprung  up  on  the  railroad,  eight  miles 
west  of  Marion,  and  was  incorporated  as  a 
village  in  1873. 

The  first  printing  office  in  the  county 
was  owned  by  W.  H.  Wileford,  in  1838.  He 
did  all  the  printing  for  this  country,  and  in 
1850  he  started  the  Literary  Monitor,  seven 
miles  southeast  of  Marion.  In  1854  was 
started  the  Marion  Intelligencer,  a,  Demo- 
cratic paper;  the  Democratic  Organ  in 
1860-1 ;  and  the  Marion  Star  in  1866.  In 
1866,  Our  Flag,  Republican.  In  1867,  Old 
Flag,    Democratic.  In  1868,     TJie    People's 


74  THE   HISTORY   OP 

Friend,  Democratic.  In  1872,  Williamson 
County  Progress,  Republican.  In  1873, 
Farmers'  Advocate,  Independent.  In  1874, 
Marion  Monitor,  Republican  .In  1874  Ma- 
rion Democrat,  Democratic.  In  1875,  Egyp- 
tian Press,  Democratic. 

These  papers  were  run  for  two  or  three 
years  each  except  the  Marion  Monitor  and 
Egyptian  Press,  which  are  now  running, 
and  then  died  for  want  of  support.  There 
are  several  good  writers  in  the  county. 
Among  the  most  prominent  lady  writers  are 
Mrs.  M.  M.  Mitchell  and  Isabell  Marschalk. 

There  have  been  four  banks  in  this 
county — Agricultural  Bank,  Bank  of  South- 
ern Illinois,  in  1860,  and  Menahaway  Bank, 
in  1863;  Bolton  Bank,  in  1858. 

The  Agricultural  Society  of  this  county 
was  organized  May  2,  1857,  with  Willis  Al- 
len as  President.  It  has  since  been  kept  up, 
and  each  year  has  added  new  proofs  that  the 
county  is  growing  richer  and  better.  The 
exhibition  of  the  Society  is  second  to  none 
in  Southern  Illinois,  except  in  ladies'  tex- 
tile work  and  works  of  art. 

The  Medical  Association  of  this  county 
was  organized  May  16th,  1875,  by  Drs.  H. 
V.  Ferrell,  S.  H.  Bundy  and  A.  N.  Lodge, 
three  of  as  learned  and  classic  gentlemen  as 
live  in  Southern  Ilhnois.  The  Society  now 
has  a  membership  of  twenty-eight,    and    is 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  75 

highly  calculated  to  banish  quacks  and  igno- 
ramuses from  the  profession,  and  bring  tal- 
ent and  science  to  the  bedside  of  our  sick. 

During  the  summer  months,  from  1850 
to  1872,  there  were  a  class  of  men  in  this 
county  known  as  teamsters,  who  followed 
the  business  of  hauling  the  products  of  the 
county  to  the  railroads  and  river.  In  an 
early  day  nothing  could  be  sent  to  market 
but  such  things  as  could  walk.  Ox  teams 
were  used  up  to  1866,  when  everybody  com- 
menced to  use  horses  for  teaming.  This 
hauling  got  to  be  so  extensive  and  costly  that 
there  was  a  general  demand  for  a  railroad. 
An  Act  passed  the  Legislature  and  was  ap- 
proved March  7th,  1867,  incorporating  the 
Murphysboro  and  Shawneetown  Railroad 
Company,  and  in  1868,  a  petition  signed  by 
one  hundred  voters,  as  required  by  said  Act, 
was  filed  with  the  County  Clerk,  asking  the 
Court  to  submit  a  proposition  of  voting 
a  subscription  of  $100,000  to  the  capital 
stock  of  said  company,  to  the  legal  voters  of 
the  county.  Speakers  went  out  over  the 
county  during  the  canvass,  and  the  people 
were  led  to  believe  that  they  were  taking 
stock  in  a  railroad  company,  on  which  they 
would  annually  draw  a  divfdend  more  than 
suffcient  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  bonds 
of  the  county.  On  the  3rd  day  of  Novem- 
ber, 1868,  the  proposition  was  voted  upon, 


76  THE   HISTORY   OP 

and  resulted  in  1779  votes  for,  and  108 
against  subscription.  On  the  12th  day  of 
December  1868,  the  Court  made  an  order 
that  the  subscription  should  be  paid  in  the 
bonds  of  the  county,  running  for  twenty 
years,  bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  eight 
per  cent,  per  annum,  payable  annually  at 
the  office  of  the  County  Treasurer.  But 
said  bonds  were  not  to  be  issued,  bear  date, 
draw  interest,  or  be  delivered  until  the 
road  was  completed  and  the  cars  running  on 
the  same  from  Carbondale  to  Marion.  Pro- 
vided, if  the  road  was  not  completed  by  the 
1st  day  of  January,  1870,  this  subscription 
was  to  be  void.  In  the  same  order  is  found 
this  language: 

Whereas,  the  county  of  Williamson 
has  this  day  subscribed  $100,000  to  the 
capital  stock  of  the  Murphysboro  and 
Shawneetown  Railroad  Company.  Now, 
therefore,  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
the  construction  and  early  completion 
of  said  road,  that  this  county  make  and 
enter  into  an  agreement  with  the  M.  & 
S.  R.  R.  Co.,  and  that  the  said  county 
in  and  by  said  agreement,  sell  to  said 
Company  the  $100,000  stock.  That  the 
terms  of  said  sale  and  agreement  shall 
be  in  effect  as  follows :  That  when  the 
certificates  of  stock  shall  have  been  is- 
sued by  said  Company  to  said  county, 


WILLUMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  77 

the  said  county,  after  the     said     road 
shall  have  been  completed,  and  within 
ten  days  after  said  Railroad  Company 
shall  have  issued  to  said  county     the 
certificates  of  stock  for  said  $100,000, 
assign,  transfer  and  set  over    to    said 
Company  the  certificates  for  said  $100,- 
000  stock  so  isued  to  said  county  for  the 
consideration  of  five  thousand  dollars, 
to  be  paid  to  said  county  at  the  time  of 
said  transfer  and  asignments     in     the 
bonds  of  said  county,  issued      to  said 
Company  in  payment  of  the  subscrip- 
tion. 
On  the  12th  day  of     December     1868, 
Jesse  Bishop  and  Addison  Reece,  on  behalf 
of  the  county,  and  Samuel     Dunaway     as 
president  of  the       M.  &  S.  R.  R.  Company, 
entered  into  a  contract  in  pursuance  of  the 
above  order,  to  sell  the  stock.     It  was  re- 
corded at  the   December   Special  Term  of 
the  County   Court.       This     contract     was 
drawn    up    by    Jesse    Bishop.       They    did 
not  claim  to  have  any  authority  from    the 
people  for  making  this  infamous  contract, 
because  they  gave  it  as  their  reason     for 
making  it :  "For  the  purpose  of  securing  the 
construction  and  early  completion  of  said 
road." 

They  did  not  make  it  in  compliance  with 
any  law  or  vote  of  the  people.    It  has  sincd 


78  THE   HISTORY   OF 

been  urged  as  an  excuse  for  the  sale,  that 
it  was  best  for  the  county,  that  the  railroad 
company  would  have  closed  out  the  stock  by 
mortgage  bonds,  and  the  county  would 
Tiave  got  nothing.  That  might  be  a  good 
reason  to  give  at  this  day ;  but  I  have  copied 
the  motives  above,  which  actuated  the  Court 
in  its  action  at  the  time.  An  Act  passed 
the  Legislature  and  was  approved  March" 
10,  1869,  to  change  the  name  of  the  Mur- 
physboro  and  Shawneetown  Railroad  Com- 
pany to  that  of  the  Carbondale  and  Shaw- 
neetown Railroad  Company,  and  to  make 
valid  the  subscription  and  contract  of  sale 
of  the  County  Court.  By  this  Act  it  was 
declared  that  the  County  Court,  should,  on 
the  completion  of  the  road  to  Marion,  set 
over  and  transfer  the  certificates  of  stock  to 
the  railroad  company  without  the  payment 
of  the  $5,000  or  any  sum.  This  Act  fur- 
ther provided  that  the  interest  on  the  bonds 
should  be  paid  semi-annually  in  New  York, 
in  place  of  at  the  county  treasurer's  office. 
It  was  contended  in  the  railroad  suit  de- 
scribed hereafter,  that  this  Act  was  uncon- 
stitutional, as  being  ex  post  facto  and  im- 
pairing the  obligation    of  contracts. 

On  the  24th  of  December,  1870,  there 
was  an  order  made  by  the  Court,  extending 
the  time  for  the  completion  of  the  M.  & 
S.  R.  R.  to  the  1st  day  of  January,  1872,  and 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  79 

also  extending  the  time  for  the  completion 
of  a  railroad  from  Carbondale  to  Marion, 
to  the  same  time.  It  was  contended,  in  the 
suit,  that  the  County  Court  here  recognized 
two  railroad  companies,  and  that  the  giv- 
ing of  the  bonds  to  the  latter  that  were  vot- 
ed to  the  former  was  not  valid.  It  was  also 
contended  by  the  counsel  in  said  suit  that 
if  the  Act  of  March  the  1st,  1869,  was  con- 
stitutional, it  limited  the  time  of  the  com- 
pletion of  said  road  to  the  1st  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1871,  and  it  being  an  amended  charter, 
could  not  be  changed  only  by  the  Legisla- 
ture. At  the  July  special  term,  1871,  the 
Court  adopted  the  form  of  a  bond  to  be 
issued  to  the  company.  At  this  same  term, 
July  24th,  the  Court,  with  Spain  as  Judge, 
made  an  order,  after  reciting  all  the  Acts 
of  the  Legislature,  and  the  previous  order 
of  this  Court,  and  reaffirming  the  subscrip- 
tion, that  the  County  Clerk  should  procure 
one  hundred  bonds  of  one  thousand  dollars 
each,  and  that  on  presentation  of  the  certi- 
ficates of  stock  by  the  company,  the  bonds 
should  be  issued  and  placed  in  the  han'ds  of 
James  W.  Samuels,  as  trustee,  to  hold  until 
the  road  was  completed.  On  this  same  day 
the  Carbondale  &  Shawneetown  Railroad 
Company  entered  into  a  contract  with  E.  C. 
Dawes  &  Co.  to  build  said  road.  On  the 
4th  day  of  September,  1871,  the  Court,  after 


80        .  THE   HISTORY   OP 

reciting  the  order  of  July  the  24th,  which 
stated  that  the  bonds  should  bear  date  of 
January  1st,  1872,  made  an  order  that  the 
bonds  should  be  prepared  in  blank  and  bear 
date  from  the  completion  of  the  road,  as 
they  expected  to  have  it  completed  before 
that  date.  Most  people  supposed  that  only 
$50,000  worth  of  stock  would  be  taken 
when  the  road  was  completed  to  Marion, 
and  but  few  of  them  knew  anything  about 
the  "contract  of  sale ;"  but  it  had  leaked  out, 
and  by  the  first  of  November,  1871,  there 
was  considerable  talk  of  an  injunction  to 
keep  the  Court  from  issuing  the  bonds.  The 
work  on  the  road  was  progressing  rapidly, 
and  Walter  P.  Hanchett,  the  agent  of  E.  C. 
Dawes  &  Co.,  became  very  uneasy,  and  on 
Sunday,  November  6th,  1871,  sent  out  a  spe- 
cial messenger  to  bring  in  the  County  Court . 
They  came  in  next  morning,  and  were  set 
upon  all  that  day  by  Hanchett  and  his 
friends  to  sign  the  bonds  and  place  them  in 
the  hands  of  a  trustee  to  avoid  the  intended 
injunction  from  the  citizens.  Judge  Spain 
and  Associate  Justice  Holland  were  opposed 
to  issuing  the  bonds  until  the  road  was  com- 
pleted.  Manier,  was  for  signing  them. 

About  dark  on  Monday,  the  7th,  Hanch- 
ett and  his  friends  got  the  Court  together  in 
a  room  over  Goodall  &  Campbell's  store,  and 
tried  every  way  to  get  the     bonds     signed. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  81 

About  12  o'clock  in  the  night  some  one  told 
Hanchett  to  send  for  R.  M.  Hundley,  that  he 
could  get  the  Court  to  act.  Hundley  was 
sent  for,  and  when  he  came  up  town  he 
went  to  the  Lanier  Hotel,  where  Hanchett 
met  him  and  told  him  what  was  up,  and  that 
his  assistance  was  urgently  solicited.  Hund- 
ley told  him  he  would  let  him  know  what 
he  could  do  in  from  thirty  to  sixty  minutes. 
Hundley  then  went  over  and  had  a  talk  with 
the  Court,  and  then  went  back,  asked  Han- 
chett what  it  was  worth  to  him  to  have 
those  bonds  signed  that  night.  He  said 
one  thousand  dollars.  He  then  drew  a  draft 
on  the  Carbondale  Bank  for  $1,000,  and 
left  Hundley,  who  immediately  went  home. 
The  Court  signed  the  bonds  that  night,  and 
delivered  them  to  W.  N.  Mitchell  as  trustee, 
he  first  giving  $100,000  bond  for  their  deliv- 
ery when  called  for.  These  County  Judges 
were  not  bribed,  as  would  seem  from  this 
story,  because  they  are  honest,  conscientious 
men;  neither  did  Hundley  attempt  to  bribe 
them;  he  simply  got  $1,000  to  use  his  influ- 
ence. That  they  ought  not  to  have  signed 
the  bonds  when  they  did  is  plain ;  but  it  was 
an  undue  influence  and  not  corruption. 
Mitchell  deposited  the  bonds  in  a  bank  at 
Springfield,  and  at  the  December  adjourned 
term,  1871,  the  President  and  Directors    of 

-F  7 


82  THE  HISTORY  OF 

the  railroad  reported  to  the  Court  their  ac- 
ceptance of  the  road  as  complete  from  the 
contractors,  E.  C.  Dawes  &  Co.,  and  the 
Court  ordered  the  bonds  to  be  delivered  to 
the  company  and  received  the  certificates  of 
stock  of  $100,000. 

On  Sunday  the  14th  of  January,  1872, 
five  car  loads  of  iron  were  brought  to  Ma- 
rion, and  on  Monday,  the  15th,  the  last  rail 
was  laid  on  the  track ;  but  the  cars  had  been 
running  to  Marion  for  some  time  before. 
At  the  special  term,  being  the  24th  day  of 
January  1872,  the  Court  made  an  order 
authorizing  the  County  Clerk  to  assign  and 
transfer  the  certificates  of  stock  held  by 
the  county  in  the  C.  &  S.  R.  R.  Co.,  to  E.  C. 
Dawes  &  Co.,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  except- 
ing $10,000  of  the  stock,  which  was  to  be 
held  by  the  Clerk  until  the  railroad  company 
should  have  the  road  completed  to  Crab 
Orchard,  in  this  county,  and  by  the  contract 
the  railroad  company  was  to  pay  $5,000  for 
the  certificates  in  the  bonds  issued  by  the 
county  in  payment  of  the  subscription,  and 
if  they  had  done  that  there  would  have  been 
only  $95,000  in  bonds  outstanding.  But  they 
paid  it  in  money,  or  at  least  $5,000  of  in- 
terest on  the  $100,000  of  bonds.  The  $10,- 
000  of  certificates  are  still  in  the  possession 
of  the  County  Clerk,  and  we  pay  annually 
$8,000    of   interest   and   another   thousand 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  83 

for  collecting  and  distributing  it.  At  the 
March  term  of  the  Circuit  Court,  1873,  a 
bill  "for  injunction  and  relief"  was  filed 
by  George  Bulliner,  W.  M.  Hindman,  Henry 
Williams,  George  W.  Sisney,  Robert  M.  Al- 
len and  F.  M.  Maxey.  The  injunction  was 
granted  by  the  Master-in-Chancery,  and 
stopped  the  Sheriff  from  collecting  the  rail- 
road taxes,  and  the  State  Treasurer  from 
paying  the  interest  on  the  bonds.  This  case 
created  a  great  deal  of  anxiety.  The  case 
was  decided  by  Judge  Crawford  against  the 
complainants,  and  a  judgment  of  $1,000  was 
given  against  them  for  attorney's  fees.  An 
Appeal  was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court, 
and  the  judgment  below  affirmed. 

In  1872,  Colonel  J.  C.  Willis,  president 
of  the  St.  Louis  &  Paducah  Rail  Road  Com- 
pany, made  an  earnest  effort  to  get  assist- 
ance from  this  county  in  'building  a  road, 
but  failed  to  accomplish  anything.  On  the 
18th  day  of  June,  1870,  a  vote  was  taken 
for  or  against  subscribing  $100,000  to  the 
capital  stock  of  the  Belleville  &  Southern 
Illinois  Railroad  Company,  resulting  in  favor 
of  subscription.  The  Court  made  an  order 
that  the  subscription  should  be  paid  in  the 
bonds  of  the  county,  running  for  30  years, 
with  8  per  cent,  interest  per  annum.  Pro- 
vided, the  work  on  the  road  commenced  by 
the  1st  of  January,  1871,  and  be    completed 


84  THE  HISTORY  OF 

to  Marion  on  or  before  the  1st  day  of  Janu- 
ary, 1872;  but  the  Court  reserved  the  right 
of  extending  the  time.  And  at  the  Decem- 
ber adjourned  term,  1871,  the  time  was  ex- 
tended to  the  first  of  January,  1873;  and 
again  in  December,  1872,  the  time  was  ex- 
tended to  the  first  of  January,  1874.  This 
is  the  last  order  made  in  the  case,  and  of 
course  the  subscription  can  not  now  be 
taken.  Had  they  built  the  road  within  the 
time,  I  doubt  not  but  the  same  infamous 
dealings  would  have  been  played  on  our 
people,  and  this  county  would  have  had  a 
debt  of  $200,000  wrongfully  fastened  upon 
it,  instead  of  $100,000. 

The  Carbondale  and  Shawneetown  Rail- 
road is  17  miles  long,  and  cost  $583,407.12, 
and  has  a  funded  and  unfunded  debt  of 
$275,890.15.  For  the  year  ending  June 
30th,  1875,  it  transported  38,959  tons  of 
freight.  The  road  has  been  honestly  and 
fairly  operated,  and  has  been  a  great  benefit 
to  our  county ;  but  it  is  not  right  in  principle 
for  a  majority  to  force  an  unwilling  min- 
ority to  contribute  to  the  building  up  of  a 
prvate  person  or  corporation.  It  is  right  in 
public  matters,  but  in  private  concerns  their 
own  consent  ought  to  be  obtained  to  make 
them  partners  or  contributors. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  85 

OF  CRIMINALS. 
I  have  now  come  to  that  division  of  my 
subject  which  must  be  more  interesting  to 
our  neighbors  than  any  other.  And  it  is  but 
fitting  that  I  make  a  few  egotistical  pre- 
liminaries. I  do  not  present  this  volume 
with  the  venal  soul  of  a  servile  author,  look- 
ing for  competence  or  public  favor.  I  was 
born  a  farmer,  and  am  therefore  independ- 
ent. But  so  long  as  I  claim  the  name  of  a 
citizen  with  my  illustrious  countrymen,  a 
lasting  obligation  rests  on  me  to  assist  in 
diffusing  knowledge,  elevating  the  standard 
of  moral  culture,  rendering  crime  odious, 
and  fastening  the  feelings  of  friendship  on 
our  people.  I  have  intended  this  feeble  ef- 
fort to  lead  in  that  direction.  I  have  known 
this  people  from  childhood.  I  believe,  sub- 
limated by  education,  they  are  capable  of 
attaining  nobler  hights  than  have  usually 
been  ascribed  to  the  people  of  "Egypt."  I 
not  only  glory  in  my  birth-place,  but  pass 
encomiums  on  the  country,  and  say  to  the 
world  that  from  my  knowledge  of  the  public 
spirit  of  our  people,  I  can  expect  protection, 
honest  dealing  and  liberty  in  Williamson 
County.  Linked  to  her  by  historic  associa- 
tions and  proudly  treasuring  the  memories 
of  my  fatherg,  the  clearest  duty  of  a  modest 
youth  like  myself,  whose  unruly  and  turbu- 
lent boyhood  has  been  subdued  in  the  pres- 


86  THE  HISTORY  OP 

ence  of  this  heroic  people,  is  to  assist  in 
tearing  down  the  curtains  of  darkness  which 
hang  like  a  mighty  incubus  around  the 
crushed  form  of  my  native  county,  and 
bury  them  in  the  deep  pit  of  contempt,  where 
our  citizens  can  stand  by  their  grave  for- 
ever and  mutter  thanksgivings  to  God,  and 
invite  an  unsophisticated  world  to  look 
with  joy  and  pride  upon  a  country  redeem- 
ed from  crime,  and  sparkling  with  brilliant 
gems  of  innocence  and  virtue.  If  I  could  roll 
back  the  scroll  of  time,  and  wipe  from  its 
damning  record  the  terrible  scenes  of  blood 
which  have  bespangled  it,  and  restore  the 
lives  of  our  murdered  dead,  I  would  consid- 
er it  my  bounden  duty,  though  I  sailed  with 
bloody  sails  on  the  seas  of  grief.  But  that 
scroll  has  been  sealed  for  eternity,  not  to 
be  unrolled  until  the  echo  of  impartial  jus- 
tice shall  resound  in  the  sunlit  cham'bers  of 
Paradise.  I  make  this  effort,  prompted  by 
motives,  to  assist  in  redeeming,  if  possible, 
our  county  from  under  the  judgment  against 
her,  and  prove  to  the  world  that  our  commu- 
nity is  not  composed  of  outlaws  and  cut- 
throats, but  of  a  highly  intellectual,  honor- 
able and  moral  people.  I  could  wish  to 
write  a  history  by  which  the  reader  would 
be  carried  along  the  happy  gales  of  pleasure, 
and  never  be  drifted  back  into  the  dark  and 
bitter  troubles,  but  I  can  not.     Crime  has 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  87 

darkened  our  county,  like  the  shadows  dark- 
en the  earth,  and  our  happiness  has  come  to 
us  only  in  fragments  and  detached  parts. 
We  have  just  passed  through  the  deepest 
and  crowning  calamity  of  our  history.  Never 
was  there  such  a  shock  to  the  feelings  and 
sentiments  of  our  people  as  the  Vendetta 
caused.  None  believed  that  there  was  a 
heart  so  steeped  in  guilt  as  to  conceive  such 
crimes,  nor  a  hand  that  dare  commit  the 
atrocious  deeds.  And  yet  I  have  to  cata- 
logue the  deeds  of  the  Vendetta,  concocted 
by  leaders  and  executed  by  fiendish  emmi- 
saries,  that  has  not  a  parallel  in  the  record 
of  crime.  Here  were  men  at  whose  blood- 
thirstiness  even  savages  would  blush, 
which  brands  them  forever  as  the  basest  and 
bloodiest  of  incarnate  demons. 

Tacitus  said:  "Shame,  reproach,  infamy, 
hatred  and  the  execrations  of  the  public, 
which  are  the  inseparable  attendants  on 
criminal  and  brutal  actions,  are  no  less 
proper  to  excite  a  horror  for  vice,  than  the 
glory  which  perpetually  attends  good 
actions  is  to  inspire  us  with  a  love  of  vir- 
tue," "And  these,  according  to  Tacitus," 
says  Rollin,  "are  the  two  ends  which  every 
historian  ought  to  propose  to  himself,  by 
making  a  judicious  choice  of  what  is  most 
extraordinary,  both  in  good  and  evil,  in  or- 
der to  occasion  that  public  homage    to  be 


88  THE  HISTORY  OF 

paid  to  virtue  which  is  justly  due  it,  and  to 
create  the  greater  abhorrence  for  vice  on 
account  of  that  eternal  infamy  that  attends 
it." 

Plutarch  says :  "But  as  to  actions  of  in- 
justice, violence  and  brutality,  they  ought 
not  to  be  concealed  nor  disguised."  Rollin 
himself  has  written,  "If  the  virtues  of  those 
who  are  celebrated  in  history  may  serye  us 
for  models  in  the  conduct  of  our  lives,  their 
vices  and  failings  on  the  other  hand  are  no 
less  proper  to  caution  and  instruct  us,  and 
the  strict  regard  which  an  historian  is  oblig- 
ed to  pay  to  truth,  will  not  allow  him  to  dis- 
semble the  latter  through  fear  of  eclipsing 
the  former." 

Addison  has  said,  "The  gods  in  bounty 
work  up  storms  about  us,  that  give  mankind 
occasion  to  exert  their  hidden  strength  and 
throw  out  into  practice  virtues  which  shun 
the  day."  If  these  virtues  are  worthy  of 
record,  the  conditions  which  generated  them 
are  certainly  proper  for  study.  This  neces- 
sitates a  history  of  the  storms  which  the 
gods  work  up  around  us.  By  reading  which, 
others  are  about  to  get  sootiness  and  filth 
from  the  smoke  and  flames  of  incipient 
storms  may  take  alarm  and  wash  in  the 
river  of  peace  and  come  out  white  as  pearls." 
Who  that  reads  this  record  of  crime  will 
not  appeal  to  their  ruler  of  human  fates  be- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.  89 

below,  and  record  their  protests  in  heaven 
above  against  such  slaughter!  I  ask  my 
countrymen  if  crimes  that  have  sunk  a 
county  to  the  incandescent  crater  of  perdi- 
tion, ought  not  to  be  remedied.  If  you 
could  cable  the  lightning  from  heaven,  un- 
til its  fiery  forks  kissed  the  flaming  waves 
of  heir  you  would  see  nothing  in  its  angry 
flames,  as  they  zigzag  athwart  the  pit  of 
woe,  throwing  up  a  lurid  glare,  but  the  spec- 
tral mirage  of  murder  ever  standing  up  as  a 
blazing  memento  that  "sin  is  death."  I  am 
justified  by  the  great  writers  I  have  men- 
tioned in  giving  the  meanest  as  well  as  the 
noblest  actions  of  my  countrymen.  If  I 
write  of  the  guilty  with  merciless  hands, 
from  a  heart  as  responsive  comes  spontan- 
eously praise  for  the  innocent.  If  not  as 
eloquent  and  touching,  yet  as  warm,  as  full, 
as  sincere,  as  such  a  tribute  deserves,  if 
you  are  sad  at  the  deeds  of  bloody  men,  you 
will  be  buoyant  at  the  faithfulness  and  hero- 
ism of  virtuous  men.  I  expect  out  of  a  suc- 
cession of  events  which  possess  all  the  traits 
of  tenderness,  splendor,  honor,  crime  and  de- 
bauchery to  write  a  romance  without  its  ex- 
aggerations. It  is  a  small  difficulty  to  se- 
lect an  event,  and  swell  it  into  a  great  tale, 
by  fabulous  appendages  and  spectral  pro- 
ductions ;  for  he  who  forsakes  the  truth  may 


90  THE  HISTORY  OP 

easily  find  the  marvelous;  but  who  is  im- 
proved by  it? 

Samuel  Johnson  says:  "Where  truth  is 
sufficient  to  fill  the  mind,  fiction  is  worse 
than  useless."  Again,  "The  counterfeit  de- 
bases the  genuine."  I  am  not  writing  a  rec- 
ord of  passions  and  prejudices,  but  of  facts, 
with  the  wrapping  taken  off,  so  that  they 
can  be  seen  as  they  are.  Though  some  of 
them  are  crimes  that  would  make  the  bai- 
liffs of  hades  blush  and  turn  pale,  others 
are  heroic  acts  that  would  sweep  the  zones 
of  misery  away.  I  have  abused  no  innocent 
man,  nor  palhated  the  guilt  of  none;  but 
have  intended  that  my  whole  course  should 
savor  of  fairness  and  candor,  more  than 
anything  else.  Some  have  used  strong  ar- 
guments against  our  county,  but  I  have  not 
evaded  the  force  of  their  reasoning  where 
I  was  unable  to  refute  it,  either  by  a  sweep- 
ing contempt  for  those  who  use  it,  or  by 
charging  them  with  misrepresentation,  or 
by  endeavoring  to  swing  off  the  mind  of 
the  reader  on  some  incidental  point  to  the 
real  condition  of  our  county.  To  enter  the 
arena  of  controversy  with  the  great  cham- 
pions of  crime,  or  even  the  little  champions, 
is  entirely  beyond  my  ambition.  Had  that 
been  my  object  it  might  have  long  since 
been  effected.  I  do  not  care  what  this  or 
that  party  may  think  of  my  feeble  efforts. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.  91 

I  feel  very  little  anxiety  or  solicitude  on 
that  subject.  I  have  written  the  truth  as 
near  as  I  know  it,  and  will  leave  the  result 
to  the  arbitrament  of  public  opinion.  I 
have  often  been  asked  if  I  was  not  afraid 
that  I  would  be  killed  if  I  wrote  a  history  of 
the  Vendetta.  I  answer,  no!  I  have  been 
personally  acquainted  with  most  of  the  sup- 
posed members  of  the  Vendetta  from  child- 
hood, and  am  a  friend  to  all  of  them.  I 
went  to  each  one  of  them  and  asked  him  to 
tell  me  all  he  knew  about  the  Vendetta,  and 
each  of  them  told  me  fully,  fairly,,  honestly 
and  I  believe  truthfully,  all  I  wanted  to 
know.  These  people  are  all  friendly  now, 
and  as  gentlemanly  as  I  ever  met.  Many 
of  them  I  love  and  esteem,  and  to  incur 
their  ill-will  is  by  no  means  desirable;  but 
to  court  their  favor  at  the  expense  of  the 
truth  or  right  principle  would  render  me 
guilty  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  contemptible 
in  the  estimation  of  all  good  men.  Since 
they  were  so  kind  as  to  give  me  informa- 
tion enough  to  write  the  whole  truth,  I  deem 
it  unkind  and  unjust  to  step  aside  from  his- 
toric facts  to  hurl  the  shafts  of  envy,  hatred 
and  malice  at  any  of  them.  Surely  they  have 
borne  enough  already,  and  I  am  satisfied 
that  if  no  man  gets  inflamed  at  this  volume 


92  THE  HISTORY  OP 

higher  than  these  young  men,  I  will  still 
be  safe  living  in  Williamson  County. 

Twenty-two  of  these  parties  are  young 
men  like  myself,  and  I  know  of  no  country 
where  finer-looking,  honester,  friendlier  or 
more  sociable  young  men  can  be  found.  I 
associate  with  them  with  pleasure.  Many 
of  them  are  my  lasting  friends,  and  I  will 
not  denounce  them  because  they  have  been 
charged  with  crimes  of  which  they  were 
not  guilty.  For  the  guilty  I  have  nothing 
but  charity;  yet  some  of  them  committed 
the  high  crime  of  murder  without  excuse. 
I  shall  commence  with  the  first  homicide 
that  occurred  in  the  county,  and  give  a  brief 
sketch  of  each  one  as  it  occurred,  up  to  the 
present  time.  Of  the  smaller  offenses  I 
have  taken  no  notice,  though  they  have  been 
quite  numerous  and  interesting.  Some  of 
them  have  been  riots  in  which  two  or  three 
men  have  been  badly  wounded.  I  estimate 
the  number  of  assaults  to  murder  that  have 
occurred  in  this  county  at  285.  Assaults 
with  a  deadly  weapon,  at  495;  larceny,  190; 
rape,  15;  burglary,  22;  perjury,  20. 

The  first  homicide  occurred  in  1813. 
Thomas  Griffee  was  trying  to  shoot  a  bear 
out  of  a  tree  where  the  old  court-house 
burned  down  in  Marion,  and  he  saw  an  In- 
dian aiming  his  gun  at  the  same  bear.  Grif- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  93 

fee  leveled  his  rifle  at  the  Indian  and    shot 
him  dead. 

The  next  murder  occurred  in  1814. 
Thomas  Griffee  had  a  man  working  in  a 
saltpeter  cave  for  him,  by  the  name  of  El- 
iott,  who  was  a  little  colored.  He  came  in- 
to Griffee's  one  Saturday  night,  and  a 
surveyor  by  the  name  of  John  Hicks  raised 
a  fuss  with  him,  and  stabbed  and  killed  him. 
Hicks  then  ran  away,  and  at  that  moment 
a  band  of  Indians  came  up  to  Griffee's 
from  the  camp  at  Bainbridge,  and  wanted  to 
go  in  pursuit  of  Hicks,  but  Griffee  would 
not  let  them  go.  Next  morning  Griffee  and 
John  Phelps  started  in  pursuit  of  Hicks; 
they  came  on  to  him  at  the  Odum  Ford,  and 
Hicks  snapped  his  gun  at  Griffee's  breast, 
but  was  taKen.  They  took  him  to  Kaskas- 
kia,  where  the  nearest  Justice  of  the  Peace 
lived,  and  he  was  "whipped,  cropped  and 
branded,"  and  let  go. 

In  1818  a  friend  of  Isaac  Herrin  came 
to  this  county  and  found  a  man  dead  at  the 
Stotlar  place,  unwept  and  unknown.  This 
man  was  doubtless  murdered  by  the  In- 
dians, and  if  so,  was  the  only  one  ever  killed 
by  them  in  this  county. 

The  next  murder  occurred  in  1821  in 
Rock-Creek  Precinct,  and  was  committed 
by  Henry  Parsons.    It  was  late  one  evening. 


94  THE  HISTORY  OP 

when  the  trees  were  rolDed  in  the  regalia  of 
Spring,  and  the  great  molten  orb  was 
quenching  itself  in  the  wild  winds  as  they 
come  sweeping  against  the  rolling  reach  of 
upland,  and  the  gentle  mist  was  seemingly 
set  to  eddying  by  the  rough  elements,  that 
this  ruffian  went  walking  down  a  little 
brook ;  his  keen,  restless  eye  kept  a  constant 
look-out,  he  saw  a  man  through  the  deep, 
green  foliage,  sitting  on  a  log  across  the 
brook.  He  fired  on  him,  and  the  unknown 
hunter  slipped  off  the  log  into  the  water, 
never  to  rise  again.  Parsons  buried  him 
and  his  gun.  He  used  to  give  as  an  excuse 
for  this  murder,  that  the  Indians  had  mur- 
dered his  father,  and  he  intended  to  kill 
every  one  of  them  he  could  find,  and  he 
thought  this  man  was  an  Indian.  There  nev- 
er came  a  more  infamous  devil  out  of  the 
legions  of  horrid  blackness  than  this  man 
Parsons,  I  give  a  sketch  of  him  from  the 
mere  love  of  relief.  He  lived  unmatched  in 
the  history  of  villainy;  he  did  not  seek 
wealth,  but  lived  in  the  woods.  He  was  a 
cold,  calculating  miscreant.  His  passions 
had  no  touch  of  humanity,  and  his  brutal  fe- 
rocity was  backed  by  a  kind  of  brutal  cour- 
age. Like  an  animal,  he  never  pardoned  an 
affront  or  rivalry,  and  to  be  marked  in  his 
tablets  on  either  account,  was  a  sentence  of 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.  95 

death.  But  still  he  was  really  a  coward, 
and  pulled  the  trigger  of  death  with  a  hand 
that  shook.  His  crimes  were  all  cold-blood- 
ed, and  not  chargeable  to  passion.  Free 
from  rules  and  reckless  of  life,  feeling  no 
kindness  for  aught  that  was  human,  hated 
and  dreaded  by  men,  detested  and  shunned 
by  women,  he  would  lay  around  Davis'  Prai- 
rie and  kill  Indians.  With  him  the  cham- 
bers of  mercy  had  no  relenting  toward  these 
blighted  men  of  earth,  but  as  a  wasp  is  ever 
ready  to  inflict  her  sting,  so  was  he  ready 
to  commit  the  crime  of  murder. 

On  one  occasion  A.  Keaster  met  him  on 
the  prairie,  and  he  threw  up  his  gun  and 
told  Keaster  to  stop,  which  he  did.  Soon 
after  he  heard  the  keen  crack  of  his  rifle, 
and  then  met  him  again.  Parsons  told  him 
he  had  just  killed  a  bear  back  there  and  he 
could  have  it.  But  Keaster  knew  too  well 
that  down  in  the  dark,  thick  bushes  lay  an 
innocent  red  man  weltering  in  his  own  blood. 
The  little  birds  of  different  species  flew 
across  the  open  space  and  'back  again  turn- 
ing and  whirling  in  manifold  gyrations  over 
the  scene,  where  the  ineffable  glories  of  sun- 
set had  been  insulted  by  bloody  murder. 
What  a  scene  was  this!  an  innocent,  un- 
taught man  lying  wounded  in  the  bushes, 
dreading  the  return  of  his  slayer!      What 


96  THE  HISTORY  OF 

a  thrill  of  joy  would  have  electrified  his 
soul  to  have  seen  a  helping  hand!  Alone 
with  his  God  and  the  winds  and  trees  and 
flowers  and  birds,  he  died.  The  traces  of 
his  blood  are  hidden  by  the  bushes  and  tall 
grass,  but  so  long  as  Nature  knows  her  own 
lament,  will  the  cries  of  this  murdered  man 
be  borne  on  the  wild  winds  of  heaven.  I 
can  not  contemplate  the  character  of  a  man 
'but  with  astonishment  that  can  look  with 
fiendish  complacency  on  the  bleeding  form  of 
a  brother  man  slain. 

In  1823,  Parsons  killed  Parson  Crouch. 
They  lived  on  the  Crab  Orchard,  near  the 
Cal.  Norman  bridge,  and  Parson  bought 
Crouch's  improvements,  and  was  to  have 
possession  as  soon  as  convenient;  but  Par- 
sons got  in  a  hurry,  and  told  Crouch  he  must 
get  out  by  Saturday  night,  or  he  would  get 
stung  with  the  "yeller  jacket,"  a  name  for 
his  gun.  Crouch  went  to  Equality  that 
week  for  salt,  and  when  he  got  within  a 
quarter  of  mile  of  home,  as  he  was  driving 
along  in  a  bit  of  dark  and  lonely  forest,  this 
sluth  hound  shot  him  dead,  from  behind  a 
tree.  He  was  found  with  his  pockets  full 
of  toys  for  his  little  children.  Parsons  went 
to  D.  Odum's,  threw  down  his  gun  and  de- 
manded a  horse.  Odum  was  afraid  to  re- 
fuse him,  and  he  left  the  country.         The 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  97 

whole  country  was  raised  and  went  in  pur- 
suit, but  never  overtook  him.  He  went  to 
Tennessee,  and  one  of  his  sons  came  to 
this  county  years  afterwards  and  said  that 
a  black  dog  had  always  followed  his  father, 
so  that  he  could  see  no  peace.  He  died  a 
violent  death.  Thus  "doth  Providence  with 
secret  care  often  vindicate  herself,"  and 
justice  is  continually  done  on  the  trial  stage 
of  life. 

In  1833,  James  Youngblood  was  at  a 
rock  quarry,  on  the  Saline,  and  was  mak- 
ing his  dog  kill  a  snake,  when  Gideon  Alex- 
ander appeared  on  the  bluff  above  and 
shot  him  through  the  breast.  Youngblood 
rose  and  attempted  to  shoot  Alexander,  but 
fainted.  Alexander  ran  down  to  him, 
helped  him  home,  and  protested  that  he  saw 
nothing  but  a  white  spot  down  through  the 
foliage,  and  thought  it  was  a  deer's  tail.  He 
waited  on  Youngblood  constantly,  and  paid 
all  bills.  Youngblood  lived  five  or  six 
years,  but  finaly  took  to  bleeding  at  the  bul- 
let hole,  and  died  on  the  cold,  damp  dirt  of 
his  cabin.  This  was  a  curious  case.  Noth- 
ing was  ever  done  with  Alexander  for  this 
foul  murder. 

In  1841,  Jeremiah  Simmons  got  into  a 
fight  with  J.  G.  Sparks,  in  Marion.  William 
Benson,  constable,  interfered  and     stopped 
-F8 


98  THE  HISTORY  OF 

it.  Simmons  then  commenced  on  Benson. 
The  latter  started  home,  Simmons  ran  aft- 
er him  with  a  knife;  Andrew  Benson  came 
up  at  the  time,  ran  up  to  Simmons  and 
asked  him  to  stop.  Simmons  looked  over 
his  shoulder  and  saw  who  it  was,  and 
stabbed  backward,  striking  him  in  the  ab- 
domen, from  which  he  died.  Simmons 
made  his  escape.  Benson  offered  five  hun- 
dred dollars  reward  and  the  Governor  two 
hundred  dollars  for  his  arrest.  In  about 
six  months  he  wrote  to  his  wife  and  was  de- 
tected and  brought  back  from  Iowa  by  Ben- 
son. He  was  tried  and  acquitted.  His 
counsel  were  General  Shields  and  General 
McClernand. 

In  1854,  John  Mosley  killed  James  Bur- 
nett, by  striking  him  on  the  head  with  a 
club.  The  difficulty  arose  over  a  dog  fight. 
Mosley  ran  away  and  was  captured  in  Mis- 
souri by  hounds  following  his  trail.  He  was 
tried  and  sentenced  for  six  years,  but  after 
one  year's  confinement  was  pardoned. 

George  Ramseiy  shot  and  killed  Jack 
Ward  in  1859.  They  had  run  a  horse  race, 
and  Ward  had  won  it,  which  made  Ramsey 
mad.  He  threw  a  rock  at  Ward,  then  when 
Ward  stg,rted  towards  him,  shot  him  dead 
and  ran  away,  and  has  never  come  back. 

In  1859,  John  Ferguson,  then  a     boy, 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  99 

went  out  into  the  country  and  found  Ellen 
Reed  lying  in  bed  sick,  when  he  shot  her 
dead.  He  said  his  father  had  too  much 
business  with  her.  He  ran  away,  and  years 
afterwards  came  home  and  soon  died. 

In  the  same  year,  an  unknown  man  was 
found  hanging  dead  on  the  Crab  Orchard, 
south  of  Marion.  The  facts  about  it  were 
never  known,  but  suspicion  rested  heavily 
on  a  man  who  lived  near  by  in  the  bottom, 
at  that  time. 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  an  Irishman  pass- 
ed the  house  of  R.  T.  McHaney,  four  miles 
east  of  Marion;  McHaney  came  up  about 
that  time  and  found  that  the  man  had  in- 
sulted his  wife.  He  got  his  gun  and  shot 
the  unknown  Irishman  dead.  He  was  tried 
and  acquitted  on  the  ground  of  defending 
his  family. 

In  1862,  Reuben  Stocks,  a  soldier  in  the 
Seventy-Eighth  Illinois  Volunteers,  had  been 
transferred  to  a  gun-boat  and  furloughed 
home;  he  brought  several  of  the  boys  with 
him  conducted  himself  rather  offensively  to 
some  people.  One  day  he  was  in  Blairsville, 
and  fell  in  with  the  "Aiken  gang,"  some  of 
whom  he  treated  roughly.  That  night  some 
men  went  to  his  house,  on  the  Eight  Mile, 
and  called  him  up,  telling  him  that  they 
wanted  him  to  go  back    to    the    gun-boat. 


100  THE  HISTORY  OF 

When  he  went  to  the  door,  they  shot  him 
full  of  buckshot,  from  which  he  soon  died. 
The  perpetrators  of  this  murder  have  never 
'been  discovered. 

In  1862,  when  the  One-Hundred  and 
Twenty-Eighth  Regiment  left  this  county, 
and  got  to  the  Crab  Orchard  bridge,  in  Jack- 
son county,  Terry  Grain  got  into  a  difficulty 
with  John  Burbridge,  and  struck  him  on  the 
head  with  a  stone,  from  which  he  died. 
Grain  was  not  indicted  until  October  1875. 
He  was  arrested  and  admitted  to  bail  on 
habeas  corpus,  in  the  sum  of  $15,000.  In 
August  1876,  he  was  tried,  convicted  and 
sentenced  to  fifteen  years'  confinement. 

In  this  same  year,  William  Stacey  stab- 
bed and  killed  Henderson  Tippy.  They  were 
boys,  bathing  in  the  Crab  Orchard,  near 
Marion,  and  got  to  fighting.  Stacey  was 
acquitted. 

In  December  1862,  James  Baker  was  as- 
sassinated in  Bainbridge  Precinct.  He 
walked  out  one  night  and  was  shot  dead  with 
a  shot  gun.  It  was  thought  that  this  was 
done  because  he  was  telling  where  deserters 
were. 

In  1863,  James  Emerson,  an  ardent  Re- 
publican, was  assassinated  while  hunting 
his  horses  in  the  woods,  near  Blairsville. 
No  cause  for  his  murder  is  known,  unless  it 
was  his  politics.    The  assassin  is  unknown. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      101 

After  George  Aikin  was  frustrated  in 
his  efforts  to  sell  out  the  One-Hundred  and 
Twenty-Eighth,  at  Cairo,  he  went  to  Mis- 
souri, and  got  Allen  Glide  and  Charley 
Glide,  and  came  back  here.  These,  and  his 
son  John  Aikin,  are  the  ones  supposed  to 
compose  the  "Aikin  Gang."  This  gang 
flourished  here  in  the  spring  of  1863,  in 
the  north  part  of  the  county,  during  which 
time  several  murders  were  committed,  and 
no  less  than  fifty  of  our  citizens  robbed.  Dr. 
Bandy  was  taken  out  and  whipped  unmer- 
cifully, and  George  Cox  was  attacked  in  his 
house  and  fired  on  several  times.  This 
band  soon  got  so  large  that  it  became  un- 
wieldy, and  they  got  to  stealing  horses. 
Several  of  them  were  arrested,  tried  and 
bailed  and  left  the  country.  Among  the  men 
arrested  was  James  Cheneworth. 

In  1863,  six  men  in  disguise  of  soldiers 
went  to  Daniel  Robertson's,  in  Lake  Creek 
Precinct,  and  told  him  he  must  go  with 
them  to  hunt  a  deserter.  He  said  he  would 
if  they  would  go  by  for  his  brother,  Jo- 
seph. They  did  so.  About  one  and  one-half 
miles  from  Joseph's,  one  man  fired  on  Dan- 
iel, the  ball  striking  him  in  the  forehead, 
and  he  fell  dead.  Then,  all  six  fired  on  Jo- 
seph, shooting  four  holes  in  his  clothing, 
but  he  jumped  from  his  horse  and  made  his 


102  THE  HISTORY  OP 

escape.  They  turned  back,  went  to  Peter 
Wascher's,  and  fired  at  him,  and  he  at  them, 
and  he  escaped.  It  was  supposed  to  be  some 
of  his  gang. 

In  1863,  James  Stilly  was  killed  by  Ben 
Batts.  The  latter  was  working  in  his  field, 
and  Stilly  came  to  him  and  they  got  into  a 
fight,  when  Batts  killed  him  with  a  hoe,  and 
ran  away. 

In  the  same  year,  William  Moulton  was 
killed  by  some  unknown  assassin.  Joshua 
McGinnnis,  Dock  Dickson,  Thomas  Murray 
and  Henry  Norris  were  arrested  for  this  of- 
fense, but  there  being  no  evidence,  they 
were  acquitted.  McGinnis  may  have  been 
guilty,  but  the  others  were  not. 

One  morning  in  1864,  Samuel  Moore  was 
found  dead  at  the  door  of  a  saloon  in  Jef- 
fersonville.  Parties  had  'been  drinking  late 
the  night  before,  and  some  one  had  killed  him 
with  a  club.  A  man  by  the  name  of  Wash- 
um  was  indicted,  tried  and  acquitted;  and 
his  blood  is  unexpatiated  to  this  day. 

During  this  year,  Vincent  Hinchcliff  shot 
and  killed  James  Pickett,  a  young  lawyer  of 
Grassy  Precinct,  at  Blairsville.  Pickett  was 
appearing  in  a  case  against  the  administra- 
tor of  William  Hinchcliff's  estate,  and  he 
and  Vincent  got  into  a  fight,  with  the  result 


r 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.         103 

I  have  mentioned.     Vincent  was  tried  and 
acquitted  on  the  ground  of  self-defense. 

The  last  homicide  of  this  year  occurred 
on  the  24th  day  of  March.  Several  of  the 
Parkers  and  Jordans  got  into  a  general  fight 
in  Marion,  over  an  old  feud,  and  William  C. 
Parker  shot  and  killed  Richard  Jordan.  Two 
or  three  others  were  wounded.  Parker  ran 
away  and  has  never  been  caught. 

In  1865,  Isham  Canady  was  shot  and  kill- 
ed, in  Marion,  under  circumstances  of  such 
a  justifiable  nature,  as  to  render  the  homi- 
cide almost  an  improper  incident  for  a 
catalogue  like  this,  because  the  killing  was 
not  the  result  of  malice,  but  of  a  combination 
of  circumstances  which  made  it  absolutely 
necessary  at  the  very  moment.  The  defen- 
dant was  tried  and  acquitted  on  the  ground 
of  self-defense.  z— 

The  next  homicide  of  the  year  was  that 
of  Christopher  Howard,  who  was  assassin- 
ated near  Herrin's  Prairie,  on  Sunday,  'by 
some  unknown  villain,  supposed  to  be  on  ac- 
count of  politics.    He  was  a  Republican.    ^ 

In  1866,  William  L.  Burton  and  Samuel     7 
McMahan    were    both    shot  and    killed    in    / 
a  general  fight    in    Sulphur    Springs.    The    / 
fight  grew  out  of  politics.    They  were  both 
RepubHcans.     Dixon  B.  Ward  was  indicted  i 
for  the  killing,  but  there  was  no  evidence  of 
his  guilt  and  he  was  acquitted. 


V 


104  THE  HISTORY  OF 

In  1867,  Horace  Sims  and  John  Latta  got 
into  a  rough-and-tumble  fight,  at  Sim's  Mill, 
on  the  Saline,  and  Sims  stabbed  Latta  in  the 
thigh,  from  which  he  bled  to  death.  Sims 
was  tried  and  acquitted  on  the  grounds  of 
self-defense,  he  being  on  the  'bottom  at  the 
time. 

During  this  year,  John  Cheneworth  was 
assassinated  in  the  woods,  near  his  house, 
in  Herrin's  Prairie.  He  was  not  found  un- 
til several  days  after.  Mr.  Cheneworth  was 
a  still,  quiet  gentleman.  William  Chitty  and 
one  of  his  sons  were  arrested  for  the  crime, 
but  there  was  not  a  shadow  of  evidence 
against  them. 

At  the  November  election,  1868,  a  shoot- 
ing scrape  occurred  between  the  Stanleys 
and  Cashes,  in  Southern  Precinct,  in  which 
several  shots  were  fired,  and  Wm.  Stanley 
was  killed.  Isiah  Cash  was  accused  of  the 
crime,  but  the  evidence  tended  to  show  that 
another  man  was  guilty.  This  was  an  old 
family  feud,  warmed  up  by  politics,  the 
Stanleys  being  Republicans.  In  1870  Isiah 
Cash  was  driving  along  on  his  wagon,  when 
he  was  assassinated,  fourteen  buckshot 
piercing  his  body.  His  slayer  has  never 
been  known,  but  enough  is  known  to  say 
that  susj)icion  has  rested  on  the  wrong  man. 

One  summer  night  in     1868,       Charles 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       105 

McHaney  and  a  'boy  by  the  name  of  Rogers 
got  into  a  fight,  five  miles  east  of  Marion, 
when  Rogers  stabbed  and  killed  McHaney. 
He  was  tried  and  acquitted  on  the  ground  of 
self-defense. 

In  1869  George  Mandrel,  a  lunatic  in 
Northern  Precinct,  met  his  father  in  the 
road  and  slew  him  with  an  ax.  The  scene 
was  a  bloody  one,  and  Mandrel's  lunacy  is 
the  only  thing  that  saved  his  neck. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1869,  Sam- 
uel Cover  shot  and  killed  Phillip  Thompson 
Corder  in  Marion.  The  difficulty  arose 
about  a  difficulty  between  Cover  and  a 
brother  of  Corder's.  Corder  was  striking 
at  Cover  with  brass  nuckles,  when  he  was 
shot.  Cover  was  then  put  in  jail  to  keep 
him  from  being  mobbed.  He  was  afterwards 
tried  and  acquitted  on  the  ground  of  self- 
defense. 

On  the  first  day  of  December,  1868,  Wil- 
liam Barham  shot  and  killed  Andrew  J. 
Lowe,  in  Marion.  Barham  was  a  young  man, 
afflicted  with  lunacy,  and  while  in  this  con- 
dition stepped  into  Mr.  Lowe's  saloon,  and 
shot  him  in  the  forehead.  Barham  was  ar- 
rested by  B.  F.  Lowe,  and  lodged  in  jail.  On 
the  7th  day  of  September,  1869,  he  broke 
jail  and  escaped.  Five  years  afterwards  he 
was  betrayed  by  a  young  lady  in    Tennes- 


106  THE  HISTORY  OP 

see,  and  arrested  by  Thomas  Ballou,  and 
brought  to  Marion.  He  was  tried,  found 
guilty  of  manslaughter,  and  sentenced  for 
one  year. 

In  1870,  Thomas  Pinkey  White,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Herrin  Prairie,  was  seen 
crossing  his  field  in  his  shirt  sleeves. 
He  was  never  seen  again.  At  the  back  of 
the  field  where  he  went  out,  were  signs  of 
violence — a  little  blood  and  the  tracks  of 
two  horses  from  there  to  Muddy  River.  It 
is  evident  that  he  was  assassinated,  but 
there  are  some  who  do  not  share  this  opin- 
ion. No  cause  for  his  running  away  was 
known  to  exist  to  anybody.  He  was  an 
outspoken  Republican,  and  his  conduct  in 
this  line  made  him  some  enemies. 

In  1871,  Mastin  G.  Walker,  an  old  and 
respected  citizen  of  this  county,  living  seven 
miles  northeast  of  Marion,  was  met  on  his 
farm  by  a  ruffian,  beaten  over  the  head 
with  a  barrel  of  a  gun,  and  slain.  John 
Owen,  an  old  man  (one  of  his  neighbors, 
with  whom  he  had  some  trouble  about  land), 
was  arrested,  tried,  convicted  and  sentenc- 
ed for  twenty-five  years  to  prison;  and  is 
now  at  Joliet. 

In  1871,  Valentine  Springhardt  got  into 
a  difficulty  at  a  mill  in  Marion,  and  was 
struck  on  the  head  with  a  large  wrench  and 
killed.    The  defendant  gave  himself  up  and 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       107 

was  afterwards  tried  and  acquitted  on  the 
ground  of  self-defense. 

On  the  15th  day  of  April  1872,  Isaac 
Vancil,  the  first  white  man  born  in  this 
county,  a  man  seventy-three  years  old,  liv- 
ing on  Big  Muddy,  was  notified  to  leave  the 
county  or  suffer  death.  He  did  not  obey  the 
order,  and  on  the  night  of  the  22nd,  ten  men 
in  disguise  of  Ku-Klux,  rode  up  to  the  house, 
took  him  out  about  a  mile  down  the  river 
bottom,  and  put  a  skinned  pole  in  the  forks 
of  two  saplings  and  hung  him,  and  left  him 
hanging.  Next  morning  he  was  found,  and 
all  around  was  still,  blank  and  lifeless.  I 
suppose  that  it  must  be  a  source  of  but  lit- 
tle satisfaction  to  that  infamous  herd  of  des- 
perate men  to  look  upon  that  horrible  scene, 
and  feel  and  know  they  are  the  guilty 
authors.  They  are  hid  from  the  face  of 
men,  but  a  just,  certain,  inexorable  ret- 
ribution awaits  them.  In  the  last  day,  God 
will  make  requisition  for  the  blood  of  Van- 
cil, which  has  stained  Heaven  with  its  vul- 
gar blot.  Until  then  we  must  submit  to  the 
arbitranjent  of  time,  and  calmly  wait  with 
patience  and  resignation  the  unbiased  in- 
quest of  the  future. 

I  know  nothing  of  Ku-Klux,  but  conclude 
that  they  are  bound  by  abhorrent  oaths,  for 
a  squadron  of  devils  could  not  drive  them 
from  their  allegiance.    It  is  a  hard  thing  for 


108  THE  HISTORY  OP 

a  man  to  swear  blind  allegiance  and  implicit 
servitude  to  a  master  over  both  soul  and  con- 
science, and  never  again  feel  the  pure,  un- 
tainted, dashing  blood  of  freedom  course  his 
natural  veins.  Who  can  succumb  to  such  a 
disgraceful  yoke?  Leon  in  his  holy  indig- 
nation could  make  no  greater  demand  than 
this.  A  den  of  these  infernal  demons  hold- 
ing their  hellish,  midnight  rivelry,  with  their 
blood-shot  eyes  glaring  with  untold  crimes, 
and  their  haggard  visages  bloated  with  an 
impress  that  tells  of  woe  and  mean  distress, 
must  be  a  nice  gathering!  It  may  be  that 
some  old  bridge,  on  some  lone  creek,  could 
tell  a  tale  of  a  soul  in  mortal  strait,  and  the 
constellation  of  the  weeping  Hades  dropped 
tears  on  a  scene  like  this,  where  the  trees 
have  plead  for  mercy  for  some  other  man  in 
the  clutches  of  these  men,  sneaking,  low- 
down,  white-livered  scoundrels.  Vancil 
was  an  honest,  hard-working  man,  but  had 
some  serious  faults.  Still,  God  gave  an 
equal  right  to  live  and  none  the  right  to 
deal  death  and  ruin  in  a  land  of  peace.  Soon 
after  his  death  eighteen  men  were  arrested 
in  Franklin  county,  charged  with  the  mur- 
der ;  but  were  acquitted.  Pleasant  G.  Veach, 
Francis  M.  Gray  and  Samuel  Gossett  were 
then  arrested  in  this  county,  and  admitted  to 
bail  in  Benton.    In  a  few  days,  Jesse  Cavens, 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       109 

Wm.  Sansom,  Samuel  Sweet,  Jonas  G.  Ellett 
and  John  Rich,  of  this  county,  were  arrest- 
ed and  lodged  in  jail  at  Marion.  In  eigh- 
teen days,  Ellett  and  Gossett  were  bailed, 
and  the  others  sent  to  Perry  County  jail, 
where  they  remained  until  December,  when 
they  were  all  tried  in  Franklin  county,  on 
change  of  venue,  and  acquitted.  Some  of 
these  parties  were  indicted  in  the  United 
States  Court  at  Springfield,  under  the  Ku- 
Klux  Act,  but  all  came  clear.  Colonel  Am- 
brose Spencer  prosecuted  them,  and  he  was, 
on  the  6th  of  January  1873,  arrested  for 
having  them  falsely  imprisoned,  and  put  in 
jail  himself  for  a  short  time,  and  Jonas  G. 
Ellett  got  $4,000  damages  against  him  in 
this  county. 

In  1872,  James  Myers  was  hauling,  near 
his  house  on  the  Eight  Mile,  when  he  was 
shot  from  behind  a  tree  with  a  shot-gun.  He 
was  taken  to  his  house,  and  Samuel  Tyner, 
one  of  his  step-sons,  with  whom  he  had  had 
a  few  words,  was  there  and  asked  him  what 
he  could  do  for  him.  Myers  told  him  to  go 
for  a  doctor.  He  went  to  Dr.  Hinchliff, 
and  told  him  where  Myers  was  shot,  when 
he  had  no  time  to  find  out.  He  had  the  day 
before  borrowed  a  gun  from  Dr.  Hinchliff, 
and  it  was  found  the  next  day  where  he  had 
hid  it.  Young  Tyner  was  arrested  and  ad- 
mitted to  bail.     Myers  not  being  dead,     he 


110  THE  HISTORY  OP 

ran  away  and  has  never  been  found.  Myers 
died  soon  after. 

In  August  1872,  Richard  AlHson  shot 
and  killed  Samuel  A'bsher,  in  a  fight  which 
arose  about  some  chicken-coops,  in  Rock 
Creek  Precinct.  Allison  ran  away,  and  has 
never  been  caught.  He  stands  indicted  for 
manslaughter. 

In  April  1873,  Francis  M.  Wise  and 
William  Newton,  of  Saline,  were  riding 
along  the  highway  together.  They  had  bar- 
tered mules,  and  Wise  wanted  to  rue,  but 
Newton  would  not.  Wise  then  shot  him 
dead  from  his  horse  and  made  his  escape. 
He  is  indicted  for  the  crime  of  murder. 

In  1874,  James  Gibbs  and  Dock  Burnett, 
two  young  men,  got  into  a  fight  at  a  party, 
seven  miles  south  of  Marion.  They  agreed 
to  fight  fair,  and  walked  out  with  seconds. 
Bennett  had  a  knife  handed  to  him,  with 
which  he  stabbed  and  killed  Gibbs.  Young 
Gibbs  stood  up  and  fought  desperately  with 
his  fist,  while  Burnett  was  cutting  him  to 
pieces.  He  fell,  and  a  cry  went  up  to  Heaven 
from  the  more  tender-hearted  in  the  crowd, 
at  the  cruel  murderous  exhibition.  Burnett 
fled  the  county,  and  a  reward  of  $500  wa3 
offered  for  his  arrest. 

September  17,  1874,  Stewart  Gulp,  a  re- 
spectable citizen  of  this  county,  was  on  his 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        Ill 

way  from  DeSoto,  when  he  was  shot  and 
killed.  He  lay  in  his  wagon  with  his  head 
and  one  arm  hanging  out.  His  neck  seemed 
to  be  broken.  His  horses  went  home  with 
him  in  that  condition.  Nothing  is  known  of 
his  murderers. 

During  this  same  year,  William  Meece 
was  assassinated  by  Samuel  Keeling,  who 
shot  him  in  the  back  at  church  in  Northern 
Precinct.  They  were  both  young  men,  and 
had  had  a  fight  a  few  days  before.  Keeling 
escaped,  and  one  year  afterwards  he  was  ar- 
rested in  Kansas  by  John  Fletcher,  and 
brought  back  to  Marion.  He  changed  the 
venue  in  his  case  to  Saline  county,  and  was 
tried  and  sentenced  for  life    to  prison. 

The  next  homicide  that  occurred  in  this 
county  was  that  of  Capt.  James  B.  Murray, 
who  was  walking  along  a  street  in  Marion, 
when  he  came  to  where  Leander  Ferrell  was 
sitting.  He  made  a  halt,  and  was  fired  on* 
by  Ferrell.  Several  shots  were  exchanged 
between  them,  and  Murray  fell,  mortally 
wounded,  and  died  next  morning.  Ferrell 
was  arrested  and  bailed  on  Jmbeas  corpus, 
and  was  tried  in  1876,  and  acquitted  of  man- 
slaughter. Murray  was  a  large,  powerful 
man,  cool  and  deliberate,  but  a  man  of  the 
greatest  courage.  Ferrell  has  been  a  quiet, 
peaceable  citizen.    They  had  several  difficul- 


112  THE  HISTORY  OP 

ties  before,  in  which  Murray  came  near  kill- 
ing Ferrell. 

In  the  summer  of  1876,  John  Kelly  and 
Samuel  Lipsy  got  into  a  fight  in  Carterville, 
and  Kelly  stabbed  Lipsy  in  the  back.  Lipsy 
afterwards  died,  and  it  is  now  claimed  from 
the  effects  of  the  wound.  Kelly  is  in  jail 
awaiting  a  trial. 

I  have  now  come  to  those  troubles  which 
were  known  as 

"THE  BLOODY  VENDETTA," 

And  first,  I  will  give  an  account  of  the 
families  that  have  been  suspected  of  'belong- 
ing to  the  Vendetta.  And  first  of  the  Rus- 
sells:  Philip  T.  Russell,  who  settled  on  the 
Eight  Mile  Prairie  in  1817,  brought  with 
him  three  sons,  James,  Samuel  and  Jeffer- 
son. Jefferson  Russell's  family  consisted 
of  himself  and  wife,  and  eight  children: 
Harriet,  Winifred,  Scott,  Nancy,  Adelade, 
Mary,  John  R.,  Thomas  J.,  and  Hope.  Four 
of  these  girls  are  married,  but  none  of  this 
family  have  been  implicated  in  the  Vendetta 
but  Thomas  .They  are  among  our  wealthiest 
and  most  respectable  farmers,  possessing 
good  intelligence  and  education,  and  none  of 
them  ever  did  anything  to  bring  reproach 
upon  themselves,  except  it  was  Thomas. 
They  live  in  the  center  of  the  Eight  Mile, 
on  the  west  side  of  the  county,  in    a    large 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       113 

residence,  surrounded  by  the  conveniences 
of  life. 

The  Sisney  family  consisted  of  George 
W.,  who  first  married  Panina  Brown,  and 
had  four  children  who  are  now  living:  Win- 
field  S.,  John,  George  W.,  Jr.,  and  Martha 
Jane.  The  latter  is  now  eighteen  years  old. 
Mrs.  Sisney  died  in  1863,  and  Sisney  then 
married  Miss  Fredonia  Williams,  who  now 
has  four  small  children.  Winfield  married 
Miss  MaHssa  Williams;  John  Miss  MoHe 
Higgins;  George,  Jr.,  Miss  Hannah  Tippy. 
Sisney  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability;  was  medium  size  and  compactly 
built,  dark  complexion,  a  very  passionate 
and  fearless  man,  but  high-toned,  generous 
and  open-hearted.  He  served  as  captain  in 
the  Eight-First  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was 
one  of  the  number  who  volunteered  to  run 
the  blockade  at  Vicksburg.  In  1866  he  was 
elected  Sheriff,  and  again  ran  in  1874,  but 
was  defeated.  At  his  death  he  had  accumu- 
lated property  to  the  amount  of  several 
thousand  dollars.  In  1872  he  wrote  some 
sensible  articles  against  the  stock  law,  and 
argued  that  it  would  benefit  him,  but  would 
be  a  hardship  on  the  poor  farmers.  The 
young  Sisneys  received  common  school  edu- 
cations and  stand  well  in  this  county  for 
honesty  and  fair  dealing. 
-F  9 


114  THE  HISTORY  OF 

Of  the  Hendersons,  Joseph  Henderson  of 
Kentucky,  had  three  sons  who  came  to  this 
county:  William,  Joseph  W.,  and  James. 
Wilham  has  seven  children:  Felix,  James, 
Pad,  John,  Emma,  Margaret  and  Nancy. 
Margaret  and  Nancy  are  married.  Joseph 
W.  has  six  children:  Samuel,  William, 
Thomas,  Synoma,  Lucy  and  Dike.  James 
had  but  one  child.  Granite,  eleven  years  old. 
Joseph  W.  came  to  this  county  in  March, 
1864,  and  William,  March  of  1865.  Samuel 
and  James,  Jr.,  served  four  years  in  the 
Twentieth  Kentucky  Union  Volunteers. 
James,  Sr.,  the  leader,  was  born  on  the 
head-waters  of  Blood  River,  Kentucky,  and 
was  forty-four  years  old  when  he  was  killed. 
He  was  raised  on  a  farm,  but  never  worked 
one  until  he  came  to  this  state.  When  a  boy, 
he  drove  a  team,  and  one  day  got  drunk,  and 
from  that  day  until  his  death  he  never  drank 
a  drop  of  liquor.  He  then  went  to  Missouri, 
and  then  to  Texas,  and  back  to  Kentucky, 
and  lived  with  his  brother  William.  In  1851 
he  went  to  California,  and  remained  seven 
years,  and  came  back  to  Kentucky  with 
$6,000,  and  followed  buying  and  selling 
notes  until  1860,  when  he  went  to  peddling 
tobacco;  his  brother  John  manufacturing  it. 
Felix  G.  traveled  with  him  all  over  the 
Southern  States.  In  Guntown  they  saw  sev- 
en men  hung  for  opinion's  sake.    James'  in- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        115 

dignation  was  excited,  and    he    declared   he 
would  go  home  and  join  the  Union  army. 
He  left  his  bills  uncollected,  and  went  to  Pa- 
ducah  and  got  permission  to  raise  a    com- 
pany.    This  company  he  raised     by     going 
around  in  the  bushes  at  night.      The    gun- 
boats met  him,  by  agreement,  up  the  river, 
and  took  his  company  to  Paducah,  and  he 
joined   the   Twentieth   Kentucky   Infantry. 
He  then  went  up  the  river  and  captured  the 
Agnew  ferry-boat,  which  he  piloted  down 
the  river  himself.    But,  not  being  a  pilot,  it 
sometimes  took  the  brush  on    him.      After 
four  months'  service,  he  procured  a  substi- 
tute and  started  out  with  five  men  as  a  spy. 
On  this  raid  he  captured  eleven  rebels,  and 
among  them,  Captain  Bolen,  who  now    lives 
in  Paris,  Henry  County,  Tennessee.       He 
next  acted  as  guide,  and  conducted  General 
Smith's  brigade  to  Fort  Henry.     After  this 
he  left  the  army,  and    moved  mto    Massac 
county,  Illinois.     Here  he     remained     one 
year,  and  then  joined  the  Fifth  Iowa  Cav- 
alry as  guide,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
for  eight  months,  and  was  then  guide    for 
General  Lowe.      He  was  in  a    skirmish    at 
Clarksville,  and  in  chasing  one  man  whom  he 
knew,  shot  at  him,  and  cut  a  lock  of    hair 
from  his  head,  which  he  picked  up  and  kept. 
The  man  came  to  Marion  with  Hendricks, 
from  Kentucky,  when  he  had  a  suit  against 


116  THE  HISTORY  OF 

Henderson,  and  they  had  a  hearty  laugh 
over  it.  While  he  was  with  the  Fifth  Iowa 
he  took  a  few  men  and  went  out  from  Fort 
Henry  where  a  m^  was  harboring  five  reb- 
els. When  Henderson  got  there  they  were 
all  in  the  lot  but  Captain  Ozburn,  of  Calla- 
way County,  Kentucky,  who  was  standing  at 
the  gate.  Henderson  told  him  to  surrender, 
Ozburn  said  nothing,  but  drew  his  revolver, 
when  Henderson  shot  him,  and  walked  up 
to  him,  and  Ozburn  felj  into  his  arms.  Hen- 
derson not  thinking  he  was  hurt,  again  call- 
ed on  him  to  surrender.  Poor  Ozburn  sur- 
rendered his  life  to  his  Maker,  and  sank,  and 
died  at  his  feet.  He  came  to  this  county 
February  1864,  and  in  October  bought  the 
land,  then  in  the  woods,  on  which  he  died. 
Henderson  was  a  large  man,  weighing  over 
two  hundred  pounds,  and  without  doubt  the 
most  powerful  man,  physically,  in  this  coun- 
ty. He  could  not  read,  but  was  a  coherent 
thinker ;  shrewd,  cunning,  and  cautious ;  a 
man  of  but  few  words,  but  pleasant  and 
child-like  in  manners,  making  him  a  very 
safe  friend,  but  a  dangerous  enemy.  Such 
is  the  man  who  was  the  reputed  leader  of 
the  Russell  side  of  the  Vendetta.  Felix  al- 
ways lived  with  James  until  within  two  or 
three  years  before  his  death.  Some  of  the 
Henderson  girls  are  very  handsome,  and 
are  excellent  school  teachers.    The  men   are 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       117 

mostly  illiterate,  but  shrewd  and  cunning. 
They  have  dark  skins,  coal  black  eyes  and 
raven  hair,  and  some  of  them  are  fine-look- 
ing men.  They  are  men  of  few  words,  and 
are  not  the  kind  of  people  that  turn  over 
mountains,  but  a  braver  set  of  men  don't 
live  on  earth.  With  the  exception  of  Pad, 
they  are  considered  honest  and  fair  in  all 
their  dealings. 

This  comprises  the  leading  families  on 
the  Republican  side  of  the  Vendetta.  Many 
others  are  implicated  in  the  bloody  feud 
with  them  but  I  will  describe  them  as  they 
come  upon  the  scene. 

The  Biilliner  family  consisted  of  George 
Bulliner,  his  wife  and  eleven  children.  Eliza- 
beth, Mary,  Nancy  Emeline,  Rebecca  Ade- 
line, David,  John,  Monroe,  George,  Eman 
nal,  Amanda  Jane  and  Martha  Lane.  The 
youngest  is  now  sixteen  years  old.  Elizabeth 
married  Jordan  C.  Halstead;  Mary,  John 
Gamble;  Nancy,  W.  N.  Berkley;  Rebecca, 
Aaron  Smith;  Amanda,  Pierce  Grain;  Mon- 
roe married  Miss  Josephine  Council,  a  very 
handsome  and  accomplished  lady;  Emanuel 
married  Miss  Mary  Tiner,  and  David,  at  his 
death  was  engaged  to  Miss  Cornelia  O'Neal, 
of  Tennessee.  George  Bullner  lived  in  Mc- 
Nair  county,  Tennessee,  and  was  a  man  of 
considerable  means  and  influence.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  was  a  loyal  man, 


118  THE  HISTORY  OP 

and  in  September  1862,  raised  what  was  al- 
ways after  known  as  "Bulliner's  Company," 
They  first  served  as  state  guards,  and  fin- 
ally entered  the  Union  Army.  Bulliner  serv- 
ed without  pay.  He  came  to  this  county  on 
the  28th  day  of  January,  1865,  and  bought 
a  farm  from  Arthur  Blake,  two  miles  south- 
east of  the  Egiht  Mile,  on  which  stood  a 
two-story  brick  residence.  In  1876  he  put 
up  a  horse-mill  and  a  cotton-gin.  His  son, 
David,  first  kept  store  with  F.  M.  Sparks, 
a  half-mile  north  of  his  house,  and  then  put 
up  a  store  at  home.  This  he  kept  a  few  years, 
and  then  moved  to  Crainville,  and  went  in 
with  Wm.  Spencer,  to  whom  he  afterwards 
sold  out,  and  with  whom  he  had  a  little  suit, 
but  not  one  that  generated  ill-feelings.  The 
other  boys  worked  on  the  farm,  and  are 
young  men  of  fine  personal  appearance, 
light  complexion,  dark  hair,  social,  jovial  and 
very  pleasant  in  their  manners  and  address. 
George  BuHiner  was  a  man  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability,  a  large,  stout-built  man,  of 
homely  appearance.  He  was  noted  for  his 
zeal  for  what  he  regarded  as  right,  for  his 
sterling  honesty  and  boldness  in  asserting 
and  maintaining  his  opinion,  and  defending 
his  principles.  He  was  energetic,  and  a 
shrewd  business  man,  and  was  kind  and  len- 
ient to  the  poor,  buying  what  ever  they  had 
to  sell;  and  in  building  up  the  country,  and 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.         119 

helping  his  neighbors,  he  not  only  became 
wealthy,  but  built  up  a  character  that  was 
conspicuous  and  honorable.  To  a  stranger 
he  appeared  like  a  cross,  ill-natured  man; 
but  that  was  not  his  nature.  He  was  not 
a  religious  man,  and  sometimes  resorted  to 
rough  sports  and  amusements.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  sixty-one  years  old. 

The  Hinchcliff  family  consisted  of  Wil- 
liam Hinchcliff,  who  settled  here  in  an  early 
day  and  died  in  1858,  his  wife  and  three 
sons:  Vincent,  Robert  and  William.  As  a 
family,  they  are  very  intellectual,  and  noted 
throughout  this  county  for  integrity  and  his 
social  qualities.  They  live  on  a  farm  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Eight  Mile,  a  half-mile 
from  Russell's.  They  used  to  keep  store 
there,  and  Vince  was  a  physician,  a  good  mu- 
sician and  a  man  of  fine  ability,  but  of  a 
very  violent  temper.  He  was  agreeable  and 
social  to  his  friends,  but  unpleasant  and  of- 
fensive to  his  enemies,  growing  out  of  poli- 
tics. Robert  is  a  man  very  different  in  tem- 
per. Educated,  refined,  a  splendid  musi- 
cian, sociable,  honest,  and  a  gentleman 
from  the  ground  up.  He  is  also  an  artist, 
and  paints  with  great  skill.  He  lives  in  a 
lovely  little  cottage  amid  bowers  where 
roses,  honeysuckle  and  jessamines  mingle 
their  colors  and  rich  perfumes  with  the  po- 
seys  and  daisies.    A  meadow  in  its    green 


120  THE  HISTORY  OF 

livery,  with  tall,  wild  flowers  oscillating  in 
the  breeze,  and  fields  and  forests  so  bend- 
ed as  to  make  a  landscape  of  every  varying 
beauty,  surrounds  his  house,  where  the  song 
of  the  little  bird  is  pouring  forth,  and  in- 
sects sport  playfully  in  mid-air,  which  makes 
their  bright  hues  appear  more  resplendent 
by  the  sun's  golden  rays.  Near  the  cottage 
is  a  flower-garden,  containing  every  thing 
that  can  charm  the  eye  or  delight  the  senses. 
I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  little  flo- 
ral world,  for  there  is  no  end  to  it.  This  is 
a  picture  of  his  home,  and  imagination  can 
furnish  nothing  more  delightful  than  a  life 
gliding  away  amid  a  scene  like  this.  Robert 
and  William  have  never  had  anything  to  do 
or  say  in  the  Vendetta,  but  both  have  been 
studiously  exonerated  from  all  suspicion  by 
all  parties. 

The  Grain  family  is  a  very  large  one. 
Spencer  and  Jasper  Grain  settled  in  this 
county  in  an  early  day.  Spencer  had  sev- 
eral children;  among  them  was  Jasper,  U. ; 
Jasper,  Sr.,  had  several,  among  them  was 
William  and  Spencer,  Jr.  William  Grain 
had  eight  children :  Nancy  Ann,  George  F., 
Terry,  alias  "Big  Terry,"  Noah  W.,  alias 
"Yaller  Bill,"  WilKam  J.,  alias  "Big  Jep," 
Warren,  Marshal  T.,  Wesley.  Jasper  U. 
Grain  has  seven  children:  Terry,  Samuel 
R.,  Lorenzo,  Alonzo,  Mary,     Pierce,     Eva. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        121 

Spencer  Grain,  Jr.,  had  three  living  children, 
Wm.  J.,  alias  "Black  Bill,"  Martha,  and 
Elizabeth. 

The  other  families  are  too  numerous  to 
name.  Then,  in  fact,  it  would  be  useless,  as 
only  five  of  those  I  have  mentioned  have 
been  implicated  in  the  Vendetta.  Most  of 
the  Grains  are  religious,  and  live  honest, 
pay  their  debts,  and  deal  fairly  with  their 
neighbors.  William  and  some  of  his  boys 
would  often  get  into  rough-and-tumble 
fights;  but  never  used  weapons.  "Big  Ter- 
ry," now  dead,  was  a  powerful  man.  Aside 
from  this,  there  was  nothing  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  rest  of  our  citizens.  George 
F.  is  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  one  of  the 
most  respectable  and  honorable  citizens  of 
the  county.  The  same  could  be  said  of  sev- 
eral others  of  them.  They  received  common 
school  educations,  and  none  of  them  are 
very  wealthy;  but  all  are  good  livers,  and 
farmers,  and  live  three  miles  east  of  the 
Eight  Mile.  They  belong  to  the  sanguine 
temperament  (excepting  Black  Bill  who  is 
bilious)  and  are  social  and  agreeable  men  to 
meet.  These  are  the  leading  families  on  the 
Democratic  side.  I  will  give  account  of  oth- 
ers as  they  appear  on  the  scene.  The  first 
difficulty  in  the  Vendetta  occurred  on  Sat- 
urday, the  4th  of  July  1868,  in  a  saloon  one 
and  a  half  miles  east  of  Garbondale;  'but  it 


122  THE  HISTORY  OF 

is  right  to  say  that  there  is  not  a  drunkard, 
excepting  Samuel  Music,  in  all  the  Vendetta. 
Felix  G.  Henderson  was  on  his  way  from 
Carbondale,  about  4  o'clock  p.  m.  It  was 
raining  very  hard,  and  he  stopped  in  the 
saloon,  where  the  Bulliners,  for  the  same 
reason,  had  stopped  a  few  minutes  before. 
The  Bulliners  were  playing  cards.  After  a 
while  George  Bulliner  bantered  "Field"  for 
a  game.  They  went  to  playing.  Presently 
George  Bulliner,  Jr.,  (a  son  of  David  Bullin- 
er) of  Tennessee,  commenced  by  betting  on 
the  game,  and  got  to  putting  in.  Field  told 
him  to  shut  up,  that  it  was  none  of  his  busi- 
ness. Young  George  said  Bulliner  was  six 
and  "Field"  five.  "Field"  said  he  was  six 
and  Bulliner  five.  BuHiner  said  "Field"  was 
right.     "Field"  then     got     up     and     called 

young  George  a  dam  lying  son  of  a 

Young  George  first  got  a  chair,  which  was 
taken  from  him,  and  then  they  clinched. 
George  broke  away  and  got  some  bottles 
"Field"  drew  his  knife,  and  George  Bulliner, 
Sr.,  struck  him  with  a  bottle,  and  knocked 
him  six  or  seven  feet.  A  general  fight  fol- 
lowed, in  which  "Field"  was  badly  beaten 
up.  The  bar-keeper's  wife  and  James  Rus- 
sell parted  them.  At  this  time,  "Field"  did 
not  know  the  Bulliners,  and  asked  who  they 
were.  In  the  fight,  "Field"  had  cut  David 
Stancil  on  the  arm.    Next  day  Stancil  sent 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        123 

Eli  Farmer  to  Henderson  to  apologize  for 
him.  When  Farmer  came  James  Henderson 
cursed  "Field,"  and  told  him  that  a  saloon 
was  no  place  to  be  in.  After  the  fight  was 
over,  "Field"  fearing  the  Bulhners  would 
follow  him,  went  an  unusual  route  to  Wil- 
liam Hindman's  in  this  county,  where 
George  Sisney  washed  off  the  blood. 
"Field"  did  not  feel  satisfied,  so  next  week 
he  went  to  where  young  George  was  plow- 
ing in  David  Stancil's  field.  They  spoke, 
and  Bulliner  asked  him  how  he  was  getting, 
and  if  he  was  hurt.     "Field"  said: 

"I  am  bodily  hurt.  I  was  overpowered 
the  other  day,  and  if  you  want  to  try  it  over 
I  am  willing,  any  way  you  want  to."  Bul- 
liner said  that  he  did  not  want  to  fight. 
"Field"  told  him  that  he  had  an  equal  show 
now,  and  that  he  himself  had  been  mobbed. 
Bulliner,  fearing  that  Henderson  was  going 
to  shoot  him,  broke  for  a  tree  and  called  for 
his  pistol.  Henderson  told  him  that  he  came 
to  offer  him  a  fair  fight,  and  rode  off  home. 
In  the  September  following,  Bulliner  had 
three  ricks  of  hay  burned.  The  tracks  of 
two  persons  were  observed  leading  in  the 
direction  of  Carterville.  The  next  week  his 
cotton-gin  was  burned  and  had  at  the  time 
one  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  cotton  in 
it,  fifteen  thousand  pounds  of  which  were 
taken  out  of  ruins,  a  week  after    the    fire. 


124  THE  HISTORY  OP 

Suspicion  was  thrown  by  some  on  Felix,but 
a  large  majority  at  that  time  supposed  it 
was  incendiaries  from  Tennessee,  and  it  is 
not  known  to  this  day  who  did  commit  this 
arson. 

In  1872  Thomas  J.  Russell  and  John  Bul- 
liner  commenced  going  alternately  with 
Miss  Sarah  Stocks.  They  soon  became  cool 
rivals.  Bulliner  finally  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing himself  the  most  acceptable  visitor. 
Envy  seized  Russell,  and  they  became  ene- 
mies ;  but  other  than  a  few  short  words,  had 
no  difficulty  until  the  riot  at  Crainville. 

In  1869,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Samuel 
Brethers,  who  lived  at  Bulliner's,  cultivat- 
ed a  part  of  Sisney's  farm,  which  joined 
Bulliner  on  the  east.  He  raised  a  crop  of 
oats,  and  after  they  were  thrashed,  he  left 
them  on  Sisney's  farm.  He  then  sold  the 
oats  to  Sisney  to  pay  the  rent,  and  also  sold 
them  to  David  Bulliner,  to  pay  a  debt,  and 
went  to  Texas.  Bulliner  claimed  the  oats, 
and  replevied  them  from  Sisney,  but  got 
beat  in  the  suit.  On  the  26th  day  of  April, 
1870,  they  met  at  Sisney's  blacksmith  shop 
to  settle.  They  differed  about  each  other's 
account,  and  Sisney  said,  "If  we  can  not 
agree  we  will  leave  it  to  our  betters."  David 
said,  "I  tried  you  in  law  once."  Sisney  re- 
pKed  "Yes!  and  I  beat  you."  David  said 
"Yes!  and  you  did  it  by    hard    swearing;" 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  125 
and  Sisney  knocked  him  down  with  a  shovel. 
David  ran  home,  got  his  father,  John  and 
Monroe  with  their  pistols,  and  started 
back.  Sisney,  on  seeing  them  coming,  re- 
treated out  the  back  way,  from  his  house, 
with  a  Henry  rifle.  John  fired  on  him, 
near  the  house,  at  about  15  yards.  David 
fired  with  a  gun,  and  again  at  250  yards, 
just  as  Sisney  went  behind  an  old  tree  that 
stood  in  the  field.  Four  of  the  balls  took  ef- 
fect in  his  leg  and  hip.  Sisney  then  asked 
for  quarters,  and  George  Bulliner  stopped 
his  boys/  Sisney  was  carried  to  his  house, 
and  Bulliner  waited  on  him  faithfully  for 
several  days.  They  were  all  indicted  in  Sep- 
tember following,  and  four  of  the  Bulliners 
and  Sisney  each  fined  $100.  This  was  the 
only  difficulty  that  occured  between  the 
Sisneys  and  the  Bulliners. 

I  have  now  given  the  three  orginal  caus- 
es of  the  Vendetta ;  first  a  deck  of  cards ; 
second  a  woman;  third,  oats.  The  Grains 
next  came  into  the  scene  in  a  fight  against 
the  Sisneys.  Marshal  T.  Grain  and  John 
Sisney  had  had  a  fight  eight  years  before, 
but  had  made  it  up.  Still  later,  they  had 
another  fight,  at  Mrs.  Glements,  about  some 
"tales."  John  was  accused  of  striking 
Marshal  with  brass  knuckles.  They,  at 
this  time,  agreed  never  to  be  friends  again, 
yet  not  to  fight  any  more;  but  in  Novem- 


126  THE  HISTORY  OF 

ber,  1872,  they  got  at  it  again,  with  "Big 
Jep"  and  Wash,  (George,  Jr.,)  Sisney, 
thrown  in  for  strikers ;  but  nobody  was  hurt. 

About  the  15th  day  of  December,  1872, 
James  Henderson  went  into  the  Company 
store,  in  Carterville,  and  bought  a  pair  of 
boots,  and  a  dog  fight  occured  at  the  door, 
in  which  the  Grain  boys  had  a  dog.  "Big 
Terry"  was  cursing  Elijah  Peterson  for  in- 
terfering. Henderson  thought  that  they 
took  the  other  dog  to  be  his,  but  he  said 
nothing,  and  started  off.    "Big  Terry"  said : 

"I  would  like  to  knock  that  dam  black 
rascal." 

Henderson,  not  thinking  the  remark  in- 
tended for  him,  walked  on,  when  Terry  ad- 
ded, 

"That  rascal  with  the  boots." 

James  told  him  it  was  a  good  time,  to 
"lam  in."  A  few  more  words  were  passed, 
but  no  fighting.  This  affair  threw  the 
Hendersons  and  Grains  into  line  against 
each  other.  The  Grains,  now  being  enemies 
of  the  Sisneys  and  Hendersons,  become 
pliant  allies  to  the  BuUiners. 

On  the  25th  day  of  the  same  month  the 
Garterville  riot  occurred.  John  Sisney, 
Wesley  and  Marshal  Grain  were  in  the  Com- 
pany Store,  when  Sisney  threw  out  some 
banter  to  Marsh,  who  struck  him  three 
times  with  a  weight.    Milton  Black  started 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        127 
towards  them,  and  "Big  Terry"  told     him 
not  to  interfere,  that  they  were  boys.  Black 
said  he  would  not.    Then  Terry  said: 
"I  am  a  better  man  than  you,  Black." 
Black  said,  "That  is  untrue." 
Terry  said,  "I  am  going  to  whip  you." 
Black  replied,  "You  ain't  done  it." 
Terry     started     at     him,     and     Black 
knocked  him  down  three  times,  and  it  was 
supposed  with  brass  knuckles.     The  other 
Grain  boys  started     towards     Black,     and 
George  Sisney  cried  out: 
"Give  Black  fair  play." 
Just  then  some  one  knocked  him    (Sis- 
ney)  senseless  to  the  floor,     and     Warren 
Grain  fell  on  him.    They  fought  around  for 
a  while,  and  then  got    outside;    the    fight 
stopped,  and,  after  a  few    words,     Wesley 
Gouncil  struck  Sisney  on  the  forehead  with 
something  in  his  hand,   supposed  to  be  a 
weight.  After  that  the  Sisneys  and  Blacks 
went  into   Black's  grocery,     when     Terry 
again  came  on  to  Black,  but  George  Bulliner 
interfered,  and  said  Black  should  not  be  im- 
posed upon,  and  there  it  had  to  stop.     Sis- 
ney and  Black  went  to  the  hotel    to    wash, 
when  Terry  and  posse  came  in     to     arrest 
Black  for  using  knuckles.     Black  resisted, 
saying  that  a  private  citizen  had  no  right 
to  arrest  him.    This  ended  the  riot.      Some 
of  the  parties  were  arrested,  and  their  trial 


128  THE  HISTORY  OF 

set  for  December  30th,  at  Crainville.  The 
Hendersons  had  heard  that  the  Grains  had 
said,  if  any  of  them  came  down  on  that  day 
they  would  be  to  haul  home.  So,  on  that  day 
all  the  Hendersons,  Sisneys,  Bulliners, 
Grains,  Gouncil,  Thomas  Russell,  some  of 
the  Stotlars,  and  several  others,  were  on 
hand,  and,  in  place  of  a  trial  by  law,  they 
had  a  trial  by  wager  of  battle.  Russell  rais- 
ed a  difficulty  with  John  Bulliner.  They 
commenced  fighting  on  the  east  side  of  Wm. 
Spence's  store,  and  fought  around  to  the 
south  door,  John  with  a  little  stick,  and 
Tom  with  his  fist.  James  Henderson  told 
Tom  to  get  a  brick,  which  he  did  and  threw 
it  at  Bulliner,  who  then  drew  his  pistol.  Rus- 
sell then  drew  his.  At  this  instant  David 
Bulliner  came  out  of  the  store,  and  James 
Henderson  drew  a  revolver  about  a  foot 
long,  and  said  no  man  should  touch  him.  The 
Bulliners  then  went  into  the  house,  where 
some  of  the  Grain  boys  were.  Sam  Hen- 
derson struck  the  house  with  his  fist,  and 
asked : 

"Where  are  those  God  d n  fighting 

Grains  that  were  going  to  whip  the  Hen- 
dersons?" 

James  H.  said : 

"I  can  whip  any  man  on  the  ground." 

George  Bulliner,  standing  in    the    door, 
said: 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        129 

"Henderson,  I  don't  know  so  much  about 
that,  that  is  hard  to  take." 

Henderson  told  him  to  come  out  and 
fight  hke  a  man.  Bulliner  said  he  had  noth- 
ing against  the  Hendersons.    James  said: 

"I  have  against  you;  you  beat  my  neph- 
ew." 

"Field"  spoke  up  and  said : 

"I  am  the  one ;  come  out  and  fight  a  man 
of  your  size." 

Bulliner  started  out,  but  was  caught  by 
Wm.  Spence,  who  shoved  him  back  and  shut 
the  door.  Henderson  cursed  around  for  half 
an  hour,  calling  the  Grains  traitors,  cow- 
ards, &c.,  and  then  went  home,  alleging  that 
the  Bulliners  and  Grains  were  so  thick  in 
Spence's  cellar,  that  when  they  drew  their 
breath  the  floor  raised.  Marshal  Grain  was 
indicted  for  an  assault  with  a  deadly  weapon 
on  John  Sisney,  but  never  had  a  trial.  The 
State's  Attorney  filed  an  information 
against  about  twenty  of  these  fellows  for 
riot,  and  at  the  February  term  of  the 
Gounty  Gourt,  1873,  they  were  all  in  Ma- 
rion. The  information  was  quashed.  Thom- 
as Russell  went  back  to  Grainville,  and  at 
Spence's  store  he  met  with  three  of  the 
Bulliner  boys.  They  soon  determined  on  a 
fight,  but  Russell  ran  off  to  Garterville,  a 
half  mile,  where  he  found  the  Hendersons. 
— F  10 


130  THE  HISTORY  OP 

He  told  James  to  go  back  with  him  and  see 
him  a  fair  fight.  James  started  back  in  a 
wagon,  and  they  met  George  Bulliner  com- 
ing down.  James  got  out  of  his  wagon  and 
said: 

"Bulliner,  you  are  the  cause  of  all  this 
trouble;  why  don't  you  make  your  boys  be- 
have, and  let  people  alone?" 

Bulliner  said  he  could  not  control  them. 
James  said: 

"That's  a  lie;  get  down  and  let  us  stop 
it,  for  you  are  heading  it;  let's  fight  it  out 
between  me  and  you,  and  stop  it,  or,  stop  it 
without  fighting,  just  as  you  want  to." 

Bulliner  said  he  was  for  peace.  So  they 
agreed  to  have  no  more  fighting. 

Soon  after  this  Henderson  was  driving 
along  by  Vincent  Hinchcliff's  with  a  load 
of  rock,  when  Bulliner  overtook  him  and 
they  had  some  very  hot  words,  Bulhner 
threatened  to  kill  him  on  the  spot,  and  Hen- 
derson challenged  him  to  fight.  Behind 
Bulliner  was  a  wagon  with  five  others  in  it, 
but  they  said  nothing.  Henderson  drove  on. 
He  always  contended  from  that  day  that  he 
was  waylaid.  And  it  is  almost  certain  that 
Bulliner  had  been  before  this. 

Along  in  the  summer  of  1873,  Marshal 
Grain  and  John  Sisney  met  in  Carterville 
one  night,  and  talked  about  shooting    each 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        131 

other,  but  put  their  pistols    away    without 
firing.  : 

Jennings,  the  State's  Attorney,  had 
these  rioters  arrested  four  times,  and  the 
information  for  riot  was  as  often  quashed. 
On  the  fifth  trial,  some  of  the  rioters  on  the 
Grain  side  were  convicted;  those  on  the 
other  side  changed  venue  to  Jackson  county, 
where  they  were  acquitted.  At  one  of  these 
attempted  trials  George  Sisney  got  mad  at 
Jennings,  and  was  cursing  him  to  me,  in 
the  Gounty  Glerk's  office,  when  Wesley 
Gouncil  stepped  in  at  the  door.  Sisney  call- 
ed him  a  "hell  cat."  Gouncil  drew  his  revol- 
ver, and  I  caught  him  and  told  him  he  should 
not  be  hurt.  Sisney  drew  his  revolver,  but 
could  not  shoot  without  striking  me,  which 
he  would  not  do.  Wash  Sisney  was  present, 
and  did  some  talking  of  a  threatening 
character.  Gouncil  behaved  himself  with 
remarkable  coolness  to  be  in  the  presence  of 
a  man  of  the  nerve  of  Sisney.  I  got  him  out 
of  the  door,  and  he  went  into  an  adjoining 
house.  After  the  danger  was  all  over,  there 
were  some  wonderful  exhibitions  of  bravery 
among  the  outsiders.  The  next  difficulty  in 
the  Vendetta  was  Nov.  6,  1873,  at  the  elec- 
tion in  the  Eight  Mile,  when  Thomas  Rus- 
sell, David  Pleasant  and  David  Bulliner  got 
into  a  fuss  over  an  old  feud,  and  James  Nor- 
ris,  a  new  actor  on  the  stage,  (as  was  also 


132  THE  HISTORY  OP 

Pleasant)  who  worked  for  the  Bulliners, 
took  it  up  for  Bulliner.  He  went  for  B's  for 
a  gun  and  soon  returned  with  one,  and  Tom 
drew  his  revolver,  but  parties  interfered, 
and  prevented  any  killing.  This  was  a  serious 
affair.  It  was  two  desperate  young  men  on 
each  side,  facing  each  other  with  deadly 
weapons,  and  it  took  the  greatest  exertion 
to  prevent  the  death  of  some  of  them. 

On  the  morning  of  December  12,  1873, 
George  Bulliner  started  to  Carbondale,  on 
horseback.  The  sun  was  standing  against 
the  murkey  haze  of  the  east,  red  and  sul- 
len, like  a  great  drop  of  blood.  The  pearly, 
vapor-like  sails  dotted  the  sky,  and  covered 
the  more  delicate  sculptured  clouds  with 
their  alabaster  sides.  The  great  oak  trees 
lifted  their  parapets  to  the  morning  sky, 
and  spangled  the  earth  with  shadows.  The 
voiceless  winds  swept  with  sublime  resigna- 
tion lawless  through  the  leafless  woods,  and 
a  melancholy  breeze  stirred  the  dead  ferns 
and  droping  rushes.  A  cold-scented  sleuth- 
hound  had  followed  the  tracks  of  Bulliner 
remorselessly.  This  morning  two  of  them, 
with  stealthy  movement,  took  their  position 
near  the  Jackson  county  line  in  an  old  tree 
top,  on  the  ground.  There,  planted  on  the 
spot,  their  ears  drank  in  every  sound  that 
broke  the  air,  mouth  half  open,  ears,  eyes, 
soul,  all  directed  up  the  road  to  catch,  if 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        133 

possible,  each  passing  object.  They  thought 
they  could  tell  the  thud  of  Bulliner's  horse's 
feet  from  all  others.  They  lay  down  on  their 
breasts,  and  fixed  their  eyes  on  the  road 
winding  down  the  valley.  They  stuck  up 
brush  to  shield  them  from  observation,  like 
an  Indian  watching  for  his  victim,  alertly 
awake  to  every  noise.  Bulliner  came  riding 
along  and  one  of  the  assassins  fired  on  him ; 
only  two  or  three  of  the  balls  took  effect  in 
his  hip  and  leg;  but  his  horse  wheeled  and 
threw  his  back  to  the  assassins,  who  fired 
on  him  again,  and  forty-four  buck-shot  took 
effect  in  his  back,  and  he  fell  to  the  earth. 
The  assassins  then  escaped.  Bulliner  was 
soon  found  and  carried  to  the  nearest  house, 
and  his  sons  notified,  but  after  desperate 
riding  John  reached  the  place  only  in  time 
to  hear  his  father  say,  "Turn  me  over  and 
let  me  die."  He  did  so,  and  George  Bullin- 
er escaped  from  the  cruelties  of  earth  to 
the  charities  of  heaven.  Look  here,  all  you 
infernal  wretches,  and  contemplate  a  spec- 
tacle which  should  inflame  our  hearts  with 
mercy.  Right  in  the  face  of  heaven,  and 
among  men,  George  Bulliner  was  slain  'by 
one  of  the  most  sordid  mortals  that  ever 
disgraced  the  black  catalogue  of  crime,  or 
befouled  the  name  of  civilization,  and  his 
death,  today,  is  unexpiated  in  Williamson 
County. 


134  THE  HISTORY  OP 

On  the  night  of  the  27th  of  March  1874, 
while  Monroe  and  David  Bulliner  were  on 
their  way  home  from  church,  about  half  a 
mile  westward  from  their  home,  in  a  lane, 
they  were  fired  on  by  two  assassins,  who 
were  concealed  in  the  fence  corners,  about 
twenty  feet  apart.  The  balls  went  in  front 
of  their  breasts.  David  stepped  forward  a 
few  steps,  both  drew  their  revolvers  and 
commenced  firing  on  the  assassins.  A  per- 
fect hurricane  of  shots  followed.  The  peo- 
ple going  home  from  church  knew  what  it 
meant,  and  they  stood  still.  The  assassins 
emptied  two  double-barrel  shot  guns  and  two 
navy  revolvers.  David  fired  three  shots, 
and  Monroe  six.  The  last  shot  from  the  as- 
sasin's  gun  struck  David  in  the  back,  and 
he  cried  out,  "I'm  shot!"  and  at  the  same 
time  heard  a  voice  further  down  the  road. 
He  asked  who  was  there;  a  voice  replied, 
"The  Stancils."  Mrs.  Stancil,  about  fifty 
yards  down  the  road  had  received  a  severe 
wound  in  the  arm  and  abdomen,  from  which 
she  afterwards  recovered.  The  assassins 
retreated  southward  from  the  field.  It  was 
a  scene  worthy  of  the  gods  to  see  these  two 
young  men  facing  two  concealed  assassins, 
and  fighting  them  like  men  of  iron.  At  one 
time,  Monroe  charged  on  one  of  the  villains, 
at  the  same  time  firing,  and  drove  him  out 
of  the  corner  and  forced  him  to  take  refuge 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        135 

behind  a  rail,  which  Monroe  struck  with  a 
ball.  Who  can  read  this  without  wishing 
a  thousand  times  that  he  had  shot  the  life's 
blood  out  of  his  black  heart !  David  was  car- 
ried home  by  a  host  of  friends,  who  had 
gathered  at  the  scene.  At  the  gate  he  asked : 
"Is  it  a  dream?  is  it  a  dream?"  and  each 
broken  word  gurgled  up  out  of  the  red 
fountain  of  his  life.  His  brothers  were 
standing  around,  their  faces  sealed  with  the 
death  seal  of  inexpressible  suffering,  and 
their  hearts  hushed  in  the  pulsation  of  woes. 
His  mother  lay  trembling  against  the  case- 
ment, her  heart  throbbing  with  its  burden 
of  sorrow,  while  the  issues  of  life  or  death 
were  being  waged  in  the  soul  of  her  son. 
His  sisters  were  standing  in  the  vortex  of 
misery,  praying  for  the  dreadful  slaughter 
to  be  stopped,  and  suing  for  happiness  with 
the  sunny  side  of  life  in  view,  Convulsive 
sensations  of  horror  and  afright,  and  smoth- 
ered execrations  pervaded  the  men,  and  aud- 
ible sobbings  and  screams,  with  tears,  were 
heard  among  the  women. 

This  was  the  worst  murder  of  them  all. 
No  other  equals  it  in  heinousness.  You  may 
combine  corruption,  debauchery  and  all  the 
forms  of  degredation  known  to  inventive 
genius  of  man,  and  cord  them  together  with 
strings  drawn  from  maiden's  hearts,  and 
paint  the  scene  in  human  blood  bespangled 


136  THE  HISTORY  OP 

with  broken  vows  and  seared  consciences, 
and  still  it  will  redden  Heaven  with  revenge- 
ful blush  and  leave  you  blacken  hell  to 
make  it  equal.  It  had  not  been  long  since  the 
flash  of  fire  from  the  gun  of  his  father's  as- 
sassin had  sent  a  blasphemous  challenge  to 
his  life.  The  echo  from  the  gun  had  not 
ceased  to  rmg,  when  this  deed  of  barbarity 
was  committed.  David  was  a  gentleman  in 
the  fullest  sense.  There  was  nothing  mean 
in  his  appearance  or  conduct.  Twenty-five 
years  of  age,  tall,  and  of  magnificent  ap- 
pearance, and  respected  by  everybody  for 
his  still,  quiet  manners.  But  on  the  morning 
of  the  28th,  the  twilight  shadow  of  death, 
cold  and  gray,  came  stealing  on  him.  A 
supernatural  lustre  lighted  up  his  eye,  and 
illuminated  the  gathering  darkness.  At 
length  his  eyes  closed,  and  an  expression  of 
ineffable  placidity  settled  on  his  palid  lips, 
and  he  was  no  more.  He  was  taken  to  Ten- 
nessee, where  his  father  had  been,  and  bur- 
ied. The  night  David  was  killed,  the  assas- 
sins had  probably  four  stands,  and  there 
were  no  less  than  seven  men  on  the  watch 
for  him;  but  after  he  was  shot,  he  charged 
Thomas  Russell  and  David  Pleasant  of  be- 
ing his  murderers.  Jordan  Halstead  and 
Samuel  R.  Grain  came  to  Marion  that  night, 
and  I  wrote  out  the  writs  for  their  arrest; 
bu,t  it  was  near  daylight    when    the    posse 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        137 

comitatus,  headed  by  Constable  J.  V.  Grider, 
surrounded  the  residence  of  Jefferson  Rus- 
sell. Thomas  was  arrested,  and  a  party 
sent  on  into  Jackson  County  after  Pleasant. 
They  were  both  brought  to  Marion,  and 
Russell  employed  me  for  his  counsel.  While 
he  and  Pleasant  were  in  my  office,  Gordon 
Clifford,  alias  ''Texas  Jack,"  came  in,  talk- 
ed a  few  words  with  Russell,  and  soon  left 
town.  Pleasant  was  about  twenty-two. 
tall,  awkwardly  built,  nervous,  and  seemed 
badly  frightened.  The  case  against  him  was 
nolled,  and  he  immediately  left  the  country. 
Most  people  believed  him  to  be  guilty.  One 
thing  I  do  knov^  that  he  was  uneasy  a^i  an 
eel  on  a  hook,  and  his  confused  behavior 
makes  it  reasonable  to  suppose  him  guilty. 
It  is  not  my  business  to  say  who  is  guilty, 
and  who  is  not ;  but,  if  he  is,  until  repentence 
composes  his  mmd,  he  will  be  a  stranger  to 
peace.  Russell  changed  the  venue  in  his 
case  from  W.  N.  Mitchell,  J.  P.,  to  Geo.  W. 
Young,  J.  P.  All  the  batteries  of  the  Bulli- 
ners  were  leveled  on  Russeii.  They  employ- 
ed three  attorneys  to  assist  the  State's  At- 
torney. W.  W.  Cem.ens  was  then  employed 
by  Russell  to  assist  in  his  defense.  The  case 
went  to  trial  on  Thursday,  but  was  nollied 
by  The  People,  who  already  had  another 
warrant  for  his  arrest  issued  by  George  F. 
Grain,  J.  P.  The  State"s  Attorney,  Jennings, 


138  THE  HISTORY  OF 

had  lost  confidence  in  Young.  In  fact,  being 
a  most  consummate  scoundrel  himself,  he 
could  see  no  virtue  in  anybody. 

The  object  of  the  prosecution  was  to  get 
time  to  hunt  up  evidence;  but  it  v^^as  a 
source  of  positive  relief  to  the  defense  to 
have  the  nolle  entered.  I  knew,  most  cer- 
tainly knew,  that  Young  would  send  my  cli- 
ent to  jail;  but  now  I  told  him  for  the  ilrst 
time  that  we  could  clear  him.  The  venue 
was  again  changed  from  Grain,  J.  P.,  to  Wil- 
liam Stover,  J.  P.,  of  Eight  Mile,  who  came 
to  Marion  and  heard  the  case.  The  trial  com- 
menced Friday  morning,  March  31,  1874. 
The  Bulliners  in  Tennessee  had  not  only  said 
that  ''they  did  not  want  any  more  Bulliners 
brought  down  there  in  boxes,"  but  David, 
Sen.,  had  come  up  to  see  that  the  guilty  were 
prosecuted.  Tom's  gun  was  sent  for,  and  the 
contents  extracted.  The  People  proved  by 
two  witnesses  that  Russell  was  at  the  window 
of  the  church  that  night,  and  the  wadding 
picked  up  from  the  ground  where  the  shoot- 
ing was  done,  was  placed  to  that  drawn  from 
the  gun,  and  gave,  as  they  claimed,  an  un- 
broken account  of  the  St.  Louis  tobacco  mar- 
ket. Balls  and  cut  wadds  picked  up  were 
similar  to  those  in  the  gun.  They  also  prov- 
ed threats.  David's  dying  declaration,  say- 
ing that  it  was  Russell,  was  introduced.  The 
defense  was  an  alibi,  five  witnesses  swearing 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        139 

that  he  retired  at  eight  o'clock,  was  seen  by 
them  at  half-past  eight,  and  again  at  ten,  in 
his  room;  the  murder  having  occurred  at 
half-past  nine  o'clock,  two  miles  away.  The 
tracks  were  proven  to  be  two  numbers  too 
large.  The  prosecution  claimed  that  de- 
fendant's witnesses  swore  falsely;  but  I  said 
then,  and  repeat  it  now,  that  they  swore  the 
truth.  When  Russell  first  employed  me,  I 
asked  him  to  call  up  his  witnesses  and  let's 
see  if  they  were  going  to  swear  harmonious- 
ly, and  if  there  were  any  of  them  whose 
evidence  would  damage  us,  we  could  leave 
them  off. 

He  said: 

"Call  them  as  you  please ;  they  will  swear 
that  I  was  at  home.  They  know  that  1  was 
at  home,  and  you  can  call  them  on  the  stand 
without  any  drilling.  I  am  not  afraid  for 
you  to  do  this." 

So,  I  say,  if  Thomas  Russell  is  guilty,  he 
came  out  of  his  window  on  to  the  stoop,  and 
down  to  the  ground,  and  returned  the  same 
way. 

The  prosecution  was  badly  managed.  One 
of  defendant's  witnesses  was  Miss  Hope 
Russell,  a  sister  of  the  defendant,  and  a 
lady  whose  exalted  virtues  and  transcendent 
beauty  claim  a  consecrated  place  in  this  vol- 
ume. One  of  The  People's  witnesses  was 
Miss  Amanda  Bulliner,  both  about  sixteen 


140  THE  HISTORY  OP 

years  old.  She  took  the  stand  with  a  help- 
less and  confiding  look,  her  voice  was  a  lit- 
tle softened  by  emotion,  her  rose-left  iips 
curled  delicately,  but  soon  her  clear,  trans- 
lucent eye  lit  up  with  a  brilliant  lustre.  The 
shadows  of  misery  seemed  to  depart.  Her 
soft,  round  cheek  dimpled  and  dimpled 
again,  like  the  play  waters  in  the  sun,  in  a 
lovely  and  touch  assembly  of  charms.  Her 
features  were  of  classic  regularity.  Her 
presence  seemed  to  shadow  the  place.  So 
pure,  so  truthful,  so  charming  her  actions, 
that  all  pronounced  her  a  most  gentle,  and 
most  noble  creature.  Though  never  a  jew- 
eled wreath  may  span  the  curls  of  her  bea- 
tiful  brow,  yet,  happiness  may  as  well  erect 
its  shrine  around  her,  for  Nature  can  no  fur- 
ther gifts  bestow.  Monroe  Bulliner  swore 
that  he  was  within  a  few  feet  of  the  assas- 
sins, but  did  not  recognize  them.  This  was 
a  remarkable  exhibition  of  veracity.  He 
might  have  identified  the  parties,  and  the 
world  believed  it  true;  but,  firm  as  a  rock, 
like  a  sainted  martyr,  he  stood  by  the  open, 
bold  and  honest  truth. 

One  of  the  witnesses  was  the  famous 
Sarah  Stocks,  who  swore  to  threats.  Her 
contour  is  not  as  faultless  as  a  Greek  god- 
dess, but  her  form  and  features  had  caught 
some  new  grace  from  the  times.  Her  eye 
was  as  clear  and  cold  as  a  stalactite  of  Ca- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        141 

pri.  She  wore  a  sigh,  and  there  is  something 
in  a  sigh  for  everybody.  But  I  will  throw 
no  shadow  over  her,  for  life  in  her  is  as  mys- 
terious as  in  the  rich  'belle ;  and  when  the 
golden  chariot  of  destiny  rolls  through  the 
skies,  she  may  take  her  seat  among  the 
great.  On  Saturday  evening,  the  sun  went 
down  behind  a  fleecy  cloud,  and  kindled  a 
volcano  for  whose  silver-rimmed  crater 
fiery  rays  of  scarlet  shot  up  the  clear  blue 
dome  of  heaven,  and  the  lurid  lava  streamed 
downward  through  vapor  cliffs  and  gorges. 
Alarm  took  the  place  of  anxiety.  The  Rus- 
sells,  Hendersons,  Sisneys  and  their  friends 
were  in  town,  and  rumor  was  rife  that  they 
had  a  load  of  arms,  and  that  they  would  res- 
cue Russell  if  he  was  committed.  The  peo- 
ple were  scared,  and  went  home.  The  State's 
Attorney  ran  off.  The  defense  thought  that 
the  Bulliners  were  going  to  assassinate  Rus- 
sel,  if  he  was  turned  loose.  On  the  con- 
trary, they  had  no  such  notion,  but  thought 
that  they  would  be  killed.  The  excitement 
arose  from  mutual  misapprehensions  .  The 
sheriff  summoned  twenty-five  men,  with 
guns  to  hold  the  prisoner.  Calvert  closed 
for  The  People,  amidst  the  greatest  excite- 
ment, and  the  Court  said  the  defendant  was 
not  guilty. 

The  surprised    audience     looked     blank 
and  sad.    James  Henderson  and  a  dozen  oth- 


142  THE  HISTORY  OF 

ers  rushed  to  the  defendant,  gave  him  a  pis- 
tol and  rushed  him  downstairs,  where  horses 
were  in  waiting.  Russell  and  three  others 
mounted,  and  left  town  at  full  speed.  A 
letter  was  sent  from  the  State  Attorney  of 
Jackson  County,  by  James  Conner,  to  the 
Sheriff,  to  hold  Russell  for  the  murder  of 
George  Bulliner,  but,  for  some  reason,  was 
not  delivered  to  the  Sheriff  until  he  was 
gone.  The  hue  and  cry  was  levied  immedi- 
ately, and  several  days  were  spent  in  trying 
to  find  him,  but  he  has  never  been  arrested. 
The  Bulliners  offered  $500  reward  for  his 
arrest,  and  $2,000  for  the  conviction  of  him 
and  Pleasant,  which  they  afterward  with- 
drew. 

I  will  relate  one  incident  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  excitable  foolery  of  the  times. 
One  evening,  when  all  hopes  of  Russell's  re- 
capture were  lost,  John  Russell  came  into 
town  to  see  Cfemens  and  myself  on  busines:-. 
We  had  a  social  meeting  appointed  at  G.  L. 
Owen's  that  night,  for  some  days  'before. 
After  Russell  was  talking  to  us,  we  got  a 
buggy  and  started  out.  Going  on,  I  told 
Clemens  that  the  people  would  think  from 
the  fact  that  Russell  was  there,  that  v;e 
were  going  out  to  see  Thomas,  and  we  had 
better  drive  rapidly  and  conceal  our  buggy, 
and  have  some  fun;  which  we  did.  Suie 
enough,  here  they  come ;  on  hand  cars,  horse- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        143 

back,  and  on  foot,  with  general  orders  to  ar- 
rest the  ''whole  boiling,"  and  put  them  in 
jail.  Several  hours  were  spent  by  these  fel- 
lows in  fruitless  chase  after  "all  three  of 
them."  There  were  several  men  in  the  raid, 
but  I  have  never  been  able  to  find  one  of 
them.  =s  ^  i 

If  Thomas  Russell  is  guilty,  it  may  be 
that  the  almighty  sovereignty,  love,  was  too 
strong  for  him,  and  envy  seized  him,  and 
John  and  not  Davis  was  the  one  he  wanted 
to  kill.  If  he  could  have  wrung  this  lady 
from  John  BulHner,  and  unstained  her  life, 
I  doubt  not  if  the  shadow  of  his  own  would 
not  have  again  darkened  it;  and  inasmuch 
as  he  did  not,  it  may  be  that  the  arrowy 
words  wrung  by  the  hand  of  passion  from 
each  of  them  were  destined  to  hang  quiver- 
ing in  memory's  core  till  they  festered  and 
bled,  making  an  irremedial  wound,  shaped 
in  the  red-hot  forge  of  jealousy,  and  cured 
only  by  the  exultant  feelings  of  gratified 
revenge.  These  little  bubbles  of  joy  that  jet 
up  from  the  tumultuous  waters  of  passion, 
soon  evaporate,  and  leave  but  mingled  dross 
and  shame  to  fester  and  canker  the  mind  of 
its  possessor,  who  ever  after  leads  a  life  of 
infamy  and  its  accompanying  wretchedness. 
Whoever  committed  the  murders  is  the 
guiltiest  of  them  all.  It  was  he  who  with 
death  first  knocked  at  our  portals,  and  with 


144  THE  HISTORY  OF 

buck  and  ball  opened  the  flood  gates  of  mis- 
ery, and  let  murder  rush  with  living  tide 
upon  our  people.  And  today  his  life  is  ruin- 
ed, his  hopes  blasted,  and  sooner  or  later  he 
will  come  to  sorrow,  shame  and  beggary, 
and  have  the  scorpion  thongs  of  conscience 
lashing  his  guilty  bosom  as  he  promenades 
the  sidewalks  of  destiny. 

Thomas  J.  Russell  v/as  born  February 
1st,  1851,  is  of  fine  form,  dark  complexion, 
black  hair  and  very  intelligent.  The  charge 
brought  no  blush  to  his  cheek,  but  through- 
out the  trial  he  sat  contented  with  but  little 
to  say,  and  kept  watching  the  Bulliners  with 
implacable  glance.  John  Bulliner  had  his 
gun.  In  speaking  of  these  troubles,  it 
looks  like  repeating  the  old  story,  and  open- 
ing the  wounds  to  bleed  afresh;  but  the  cry 
of  murder  and  bloodshed  is  of  too  common 
occurrence  in  this  county,  not  to  have  it  re- 
corded. The  smoke  from  one  of  these  bloody 
acts  scarcely  settled  on  the  field,  when  it 
was  renewed.  The  report  started  and  went 
the  rounds,  only  to  return  and  be  renewed 
by  the  slaughter  of  another  victim. 

I  am  bound  to  record  these  acts  as  they 
have  occurred,  for  it  is  a  page  of  history,  re- 
corded and  sealed  by  the  blood  of  our  fellow 
men,  that  will  leave  a  crimson  stain  on  the 
county,  that  will  be  gazed  upon  and  won- 
dered at  by  our  young,  years  to  come.    The 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       145 

Bulliner  boys  appealed  to  the  law.    They  ap- 
pealed to  humanity.    They  and  their  friends 
rode  night  and  day,  and  spent  hundreds  of 
dollars  in  prosecuting  assassins,  as  they  be- 
lieved, but  they  were  defeated.    The  law  was 
not  supported  by  a  pure  public  sentiment  of 
the  people.    The  ones  that  they  looked  upon 
as  being    guilty    were    turned  loose.    What 
could  they  do?    Must  they  be  driven  to  the 
bushes  by  this  hard  bargain,     or  be  placed 
for  a  lifetime  at  the  mercy  of  the  assassins, 
with  their  hearts  enclosed  in  palisades     of 
sorrow?      They  saw  their  father  and  broth- 
er shot  down  by  vandal  hands,  and  their  own 
lives  threatened  by  fiends  stalking  in  mid- 
night darkness.       Is  it  a  wonder  that  the 
spirit  of  retaliation  seized  them,  and     the 
stern  old  Mosaic  law  of  an  eye  for  an    eye 
and  a  tooth  for  a  tooth,  went  into  full  force 
among  them,  and  they  became  aggressors 
themselves?     Retaliation  was  taught  them 
by  every  cord  in  human  nature.  They  were 
drawn  upon  by  every  principle     that    calls 
forth  human  action.    Their    lives    were    a 
constant  appeal  to  chivalry.       What     could 
they  do  but  pick  up  the  gauntlet  hurled  into 
their  faces,  and  give  vent  to  an  anger  long 
pent  up?    At  this  time  there  were  interests 
more  sacred  to  the  Bulliners  than  those  of 
peace.    Justice  was  more.    Honor  was  more. 
-F  11 


146  THE  HISTORY  OF 

I'idelity  to  the  memory  of  a  murdered  fath- 
er and  brother  are  considerations  for  which 
those  who  spoke  so  loud  in  favor  of  peace, 
would  have  foregone  progress  and  prosper- 
ity, and  drawn  the  shot-gun  in  stern  resent- 
ment and  punishment  of  those  who  invaded 
and  violated  their  sacred  rights.  When  can 
son  forget  his  father?  When  did  passion 
and  crime  ever  estrange  one  from  the  other? 
V/hen  ocean  surrenders  up  her  water,  then 
will  the  parents  of  his  hopes  and  tears,  and 
the  holy  lessons  learned  on  their  knees,  be 
alienated  from  the  son's  heart.  They  must, 
if  they  are  human,  esteem  revenge  for  their 
wrongs  as  the  most  sacred  inheritance. 

The  ordinary  agents  of  the  law  had  prov- 
en insufficient,  and  Nature  rose  up  to  avenge 
the  injustice.  Embassadors  were  at  an  end. 
Words  of  menace  and  expostulation  were 
exchanged  for  the  thunders  of  the  shot  gur.. 
The  quarrels  which  a  hallow  place  held  in 
abeyance  were  to  be  settled  in  the  bushes. 
The  die  was  cast.  The  god  of  the  bushes 
had  been  invoked.  The  red  hand  of  murder 
was  raised.  The  feuds  which  had  so  long 
fermented  among  the  Vendetta,  were  rele- 
gated to  the  arbitrament  of  the  murderous 
shot  gun.  Already  the  lurid  flames  of  the 
midnight  gun  lit  up  the  fair  fields  of  this 
county.    Already  the  smoke  hung    like     a 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       147 

wreath  over  the  fairest  lands  of  Egypt,  and 
death  stalked  with  defiant  tread  over  the 
county.  The  past  was  an  index  to  the  fu- 
ture. The  cries  of  our  future  victims  had 
already  reached  our  ears.  The  Bulliners 
were  not  uncomplaining  sacrifices.  The 
voice  of  humanity  had  issued  from  the 
shades  of  their  farm,  it  had  been  unheeded, 
and  one  of  them  has  since  been  convicted  of 
murder.  Whether  he  is  guilty  or  not  is  not 
my  province  to  say,  but  to  tell  the  facts  the 
best  I  can,  and  let  the  world  pass  its  judg- 
ment on  his  slaughtered  family. 

John  Bulliner  could  have  'been  actuated 
by  but  one  principle  of  human  action  in  go- 
ing into  this  work  of  blood,  and  that  was  re- 
venge. If  any  thing  could  be  tolerated  to 
plead  in  extenuation  of  palliation  of  crime, 
surely  it  could  be  urged  in  his  case;  but  if 
he  is  guilty,  I  would  place  his  crime  at  noth- 
ing less  than  murder.  The  assassin  of  his 
father  were  actuated  by  malice.  Their  deeds 
were  committeed  with  no  ingredients  to  as- 
suage or  cool;  making  them  the  most  das- 
tardly acts  on  record.  The  Grain  boys  were 
actuated  by  a  very  different  motive  to  join 
in  this  work.  That  is,  where  the  power  to 
do  wrong  with  impunity  exists,  the  will  is 
not  long  wanting.  Whenever  mankind  sees 
a  chance  of  doing  wrong  without  ever  being 


148  THE  HISTORY  OF 

detected,  they  do  not  wait  for  a  provocation. 
The  best  men  will  do  wrong,  and  nothing  but 
wrong,  if  you  remove  the  fear  of  possible 
punishment.  It  is  true  that  the  fear  of  God 
restrains  a  small  class.  But  generally  this 
is  but  a  temporary  restraint,  and  is  effective 
only  when  protected  from  strain.  But 
strain  it ;  take  away  the  punishment  the  men 
inflict,  open  the  gates  of  crime,  and  some  of 
the  best  men  will  become  the  most  consu- 
mate  scoundrels  in  the  land. 

So  it  was  with  the  Grains.  They  did  not 
commence  killing  from  an  inherent  love  of 
killing,  but  because  it  was  being  done  by 
others,  and  nobody  punished.  Hence,  men 
have  been  heard  to  say:  "I  might  as  well 
make  some  money  as  anybody  else." 

After  Russell's  release,  several  parties 
formed  themselves  into  fantastic  models, 
and  scouted  the  country.  Ready  to  vie  with 
each  other  in  general  follies,  they  started 
out  by  being  ridiculous  and  ended  by  being 
vicious  and  criminal.  One  of  these  parties 
headed  by  Vince  Hinchcliff,  arrested  Gordon 
Clifford  alias  "Texas  Jack,"  down  near  the 
bloody  grounds,  and  after  treating  him  very 
badly,  brought  him  to  Marion,  and  just  be- 
fore dayhght,  had  a  mock  trial  before  a  J. 
P.,  the  State.'s  Attorney  reading  the  law  out 
a  patent  office  report,    and  probably    the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.      149 

drunkest  man  in  the  crowd.  "Jack"  was  put 
in  jail  without  law  or  evidence — the  only 
witness  being  "Smokey  Joe,"  who  had  never 
seen  "Jack"  before.  "Texas  Jack"  was  a 
very  mean  man,  but  he  ought  to  have  been 
tried  as  becomes  ministers  of  justice  in  her 
own  sacred  temple.  He  came  into  this  coun- 
ty in  1873,  and  lived  around  promiscuously 
for  two  years,  offering  gratuitous  meanness 
for  his  board.  He  was  about  twenty-five 
years  old,  tall,  slender,  fine-looking  fellow, 
and  a  very  fast  young  man  generously,  a 
noisy  ladies'  man,  and  horse  jockey.  He  lay 
in  jail  until  October,  when  he  was  indicted 
for  harboring  "fugitives  from  justice," 
meaning  Thomas  Russell.  He  gave  bond  in 
the  sum  of  $500,  and  after  having  a  couple 
of  rows  with  Hinchcliff  for  the  treatment 
he  received  from  him  he  left  the  country.  He 
said  he  came  from  Kansas,  and  Vince  wrote 
there,  and  his  character  was  very  bad.  When 
he  was  arrested,  the  word  "hanging"  was 
pretty  freely  used,  and  I  would  suggest  that 
if  he  ever  take  a  mania  for  suicide  and  will 
come  back  to  this  county,  he  may  find  some- 
body who  will  assist  him  off  in  a  romantic 
manner. 

Some  of  their  scouting  parties  talked 
about  hanging  men;  plans  were  laid  in  Ma- 
rion ;  meetings  were  held ;  names  given ;  the 


150  THE  HISTORY  OF 

leading  men  on  the  Russell-Henderson  side 
were  to  be  hung;  but  they  never  could  get 
the  executioners  on  the  ground.  After  the 
Russell  trial,  James  Henderson  was  waylaid. 
He  sat  up  many  a  night  all  night,  watching 
for  the  assassins,  but  his  dogs  barked  and 
his  mules  brayed,  every  time  they  would 
come  near  the  house,  as  if  to  warn  their  mas- 
ter that  assassins  lurked  in  the  bushes  and 
they  would  run  off.  One  night  he  hitched 
his  mules  out  in  the  woods  to  keep  them 
from  making  a  noise,  so  that  he  could  kill 
the  assassins,  but  just  before  they  got  up 
that  night  in  shooting  distance  of  him,  the 
mules  broke  loose  and  came  running  to  the 
house.  He  worked  in  his  field,  surrounded 
by  a  dense  forest,  with  Granite  and  little 
Frank  Jeffreys  acting  as  guards  for  him. 

On  the  morning  of  May  15,  1874,  while 
Frank  was  on  watch,  he  said  he  saw  some- 
thing behind  a  pile  of  logs  in  the  field.  James 
looked  p,nd  said  he  guessed  it  was  nothing. 
In  the  afternoon.  Granite  had  to  help  her 
mother  wash,  and  Frank  was  on  guard  alone. 
About  three  o'clock  he  said  he  was  lonesome 
sitting  up  in  the  edge  of  the  woods,  and 
wanted  to  come  down  to  his  foster-father. 
James,  who  had  been  building  fence,  told 
him  to  come,  and  he  lay  down  with  the  boy. 
Three  assassins  lay  concealed    behind  a  pile 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       15! 

of  logs,  twenty-seven  steps  away.  The  drip- 
ping drab  of  a  summer  sky  overhung  the 
scene  in  pearly  sails,  and  just  when  our 
people  were  looking  for  light  out  of  dark- 
ness, to  unmantle  the  smoldering  folds  of 
hatred,  they  fired  on  Henderson,  who  lay 
in  his  side,  the  balls  taking  effect  in  his 
back.  He  turned  over  on  his  face,  and  put 
his  hand  over  his  eyes  while  looking  at  them. 
One  of  them  walked  out  from  behind  the 
logs  and  fired  at  him  with  a  pistol,  and 
struck  him  in  the  hand.  They  then  ran  off. 
He  said  right  there,  while  his  agonizing  na- 
ture was  vibrating  in  horrid  suspense  be- 
tween life  and  death,  that  he  recognized  the 
assassins  as  James  Norris,  John  Bulliner 
and  Manuel  or  Monroe  Bulliner.  Thomas 
Wilson,  a  young  man  who  was  near  by  and 
saw  the  men,  did  not  know  them.  Hender- 
son was  carried  to  his  house,  and  lingered 
eight  days  before  he  died.  When  the  news 
01  the  shooting  reached  Marion,  but  little 
concern  was  manifested.  There  was  a  dispo- 
sition that  so  long  as  they  kept  even  down 
on  the  "bloody  ground"  it  was  all  right.  One 
fellow  cried  out,  "Thank  God,  they  have  got 
the  old  king  bee  at  last."  But  such  a  senti- 
ment was  too  shocking  to  float  unrebuked  on 
the  air  of  Marion.  We  know  what  such  sen- 
timents have  produced  in  other  countries. 


152  THE  HISTORY  OF 

History  tells  the  fateful  tale.  The  terrible 
record  is  written  in  blood,  and  the  world 
stands  aghast  when  the  book  is  opened.  He 
was  informed  that  a  bunch  of  bones  would 
be  rammed  into  his  face  if  he  repeated  the 
sentence. 

There  was  no  high-wrought,  inflated 
tone  about  Henderson.  No  straining  or 
twisting  of  style,  but  all  was  plain,  simple, 
easy  and  natural.  He  was  compelled  to  toil 
for  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  bravely  bore 
the  frettings  and  raspings  of  this  cold,  dull 
world.  To  his  friends  he  was  warm-hearted, 
candid,  earnest  and  honest,  and  would  risk 
his  life  for  them  at  any  time.  To  his  ene- 
mies he  was  cautious,  daring  and  dangerous. 
He  was  a  man  of  but  few  words,  but  wore 
a  mild,  firm  fearless  look.  He  is  gone !  and 
the  silver-dusted  lilies  and  trailing  willows 
will  throw  their  flickering  shadows  over  his 
grave,  made  green  by  the  lichen-fingered 
touch  of  time  forever.  Soon  after  his  death 
his  wife  became  a  lunatic,  and  died  on  the 
New  Year  day  following.  On  Saturday,  the 
next  day,  after  Henderson  was  shot,  Jaston 
Ditmore  was  plowing  alone  in  his  field,  one 
mile  west  of  Henderson's,  and  about  ten 
o'clock  he  was  fired  on  three  times  in  rapid 
succession,  five  of  the  balls  striking  him,  one 
in  the  breast,  one  in  each  arm,  one  in    the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       153 

side  and  thigh;  but  he  soon  recovered,  and 
left  the  country.  No  reason  for  this  shoot- 
ing can  be  given,  unless  it  was  that  he  saw 
the  assassins  of  Henderson.  He  was  in  no 
known  way  connected  with  the  Vendetta. 
When  the  inquest  was  held  over  Henderson, 
the  Coroner  issued  his  warrant  for  the  ar- 
rest of  John  Bulliner  and  James  Norris,  but 
they  ran  at  large  until  August  25th,  1874, 
when  Deputy  Sheriff  W.  J.  Pulley  arrested 
Bulliner  at  Crainville.  He  was  kept  under 
guard  at  Marion  until  September  3rd,  when 
he  was  taken  before  Judge  Crawford  on  a 
writ  of  habeas  corjms,  and  was  admitted  to 
bail  in  the  sum  of  $3,000.  In  October  fol- 
lowing they  were  both  indicted  for  murder. 
Bulliner  was  put  upon  his  trial,  and  had 
four  witnesses  from  Tennessee,  who  swore 
that  he  was  there  at  the  time,  and  he  was  ac- 
quitted by  a  jury. 

Soon  after  Ditmore  was  shot,  John  Rod 
and  one  other  man  were  riding  beside  a  field, 
three  miles  northwest  of  Henderson's,  and 
two  miles  north  of  the  Eight  Mile,  when 
they  saw  a  man  fall  down  in  the  weeds  in 
the  field.  Thinking  something  had  happened 
to  him.  Rod  went  over  to  see;  when  he  got 
within  ten  feet  of  the  man,  he  rose  and  fired 
on  Rod,  shooting  him  through  the  thigh, 
and  then  scampered  away.    It  was  rumored 


154  THE  HISTORY  OF 

that  this  was  Thomas  Russell,  but  rumor 
had  him  everywhere,  so  there  is  no  telling. 

On  Sunday  morning,  August  9th,  1874, 
George  W.  Sisney  went  out  to  his  barn  lot, 
and  two  assassins  who  lay  concealed  in  the 
fence  corner  near  by,  snapped  their  guns  at 
him  four  times,  but  being  wet  with  the  dew, 
they  did  not  fire.  He  was  shocked,  and 
called  to  one  of  his  boys  to  come  to  him, 
when  the  assassins  rose  and  walked  off,  and 
he  stood  watching  them  for  over  two  hun- 
dred yards.  He  did  not  tell  who  these  par- 
ties were,  but  at  the  October  term  indicted 
Timothy  Edward  Cagle  and  James  Norris, 
for  an  assault  to  murder  him,  claiming  that 
they  were  the  parties.  Cagle  is  nineteen 
years  old,  an  orphan  boy,  slim,  awkward 
built,  fair  complexion,  very  pleasant  and 
agreeable.  He  once  had  a  difficulty  with 
one  of  the  Sisney  boys.  He  worked  for  Da- 
vid Bulliner  thirteen  months,  with  James 
Norris.  After  he  was  indicted  he  went  to 
New  Orleans,  but  returned,  and  in  March, 
1875,  gave  himself  up  and  lay  in  jail  until 
September,  when  he  went  on  trial.  I  had 
opened  the  case  for  the  defense,  when  it  was 
nolled  on  account  of  Sisney's  death. 

About  this  time  rumor  was  afloat  that 
Dr.  Bentley,  of  Marion,  had  cut  some  balls 
out  of  John  Sisney,  supposed    to  have    been 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       15^ 

received  when  David  Bulliner  was  killed. 
On  the  17th  day  of  August,  W.  H.  Bentley 
published  an  affidavit,  stating  that  he  had 
never  cut  any  ball  out  of  or  known  of  any 
being  in  any  of  the  Sisneys,  and  that  the  ru- 
mor was  false.  John  Sisney  was  not  believ- 
ed to  be  guilty,  but  made  a  very  convenient 
scape  goat  for  those  who  were. 

During  the  month  of  August,  "Field" 
Henderson  and  Monroe  Bulliner  accidental- 
ly met  in  Marion,  and  had  a  talk,  and  agreed 
to  meet  at  Carterville,  and  compromise  and 
have  no  more  trouble.  Monroe  said  he 
would  get  John,  and  "Field"  said  he  would 
get  all  the  Hendersons,  and  meet  him  on  a 
set  day.  "Field"  saw  the  Hendersons,  and 
they  said  so  far  they  had  nothing  to  do  with 
the  troubles,  and  were  not  going  to  have; 
but  "Field"  went  to  Carterville  by  himself 
on  the  day,  and  Monroe,  John  and  Vincent 
Hinchcliff  met  him. 

Vince  took  him  out  to  one  side,  and  said, 
"  'Field,'  these  boys  did  not  kill  your  Uncle 
Jim.  I  know  they  did  not.  All  they  want 
is  to  be  let  alone.  The  next  man  that  is  kill- 
ed, the  last  one  of  the  Hendersons  will  'be 
killed  or  run  out  of  the  country.  You  fel- 
lows, by  God,  can't  kill  everybody.  The 
people  won't  stand  it." 


156  THE  HISTORY  OP 

"Field"  said,  "Don't  say  you  fellows,  I 
have  had  nothing  to  do  with  it." 

Vince  rephed,  "You  are  the  only  one  of 
them  that  has  any  principle.    Old  Jim    had 

but  d d  few  friends;    I  was    one    only 

through  fear." 

He  said  he  had  sent  for  the  boys,  two 
new  shot  guns,  and  they  had  not  come,  and 
that  is  why  he  knew  they  did  not  kill  his 
uncle.  Here  Monroe  and  John  come  out, 
and  John  asked  'Field'  where  Sam  Hender- 
son was.  "Field"  said  he  did  not  know,  that 
he  was  afraid  to  stay  at  home  and  work. 
John  said: 

Sam  is  in  the  bushes,  and  if  my  enemies 
do  not  come  out  and  face  me  like  men,  I  will 
go  into  them  myself." 

But  they  all  agreed  to  be  friends  and 
have  no  further  trouble.  "Field"  was  to  tell 
Sam  that  he  could  come  home  and  go  to  work 
and  that  they  were  not  to  hurt  him;  but 
Sam  never  came  home.  This  was  the  first; 
time  that  "Field"  knew  that  Vince  was  an 
enemy  to  him.  He  used  to  deer-drive  with 
his  uncle  Jim,  and  he  was  astonished  at  his 
talk. 

On  Sunday,  October  4th,  1874,  Vincent 
Hinchcliff  rode  out  north  about  a  mile,  to 
see  a  sick  man.  Coming  back  about  noon, 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from    his 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       157 

house,  several  ruffians  had  concealed  them- 
selves in  a  skirt  of  timber,  on  the  east  side 
off  the  road,  which  had  been  fenced  in,  but 
had  grown  up  with  small  bushes.  They  fir- 
ed on  him  sixteen  times,  four  shot  guns  and 
twelve  pistol  shots.  He  and  his  hrorse 
were  both  shot  dead  on  the  spot.  Robert, 
who  started  down  at  the  first  shot,  turned 
the  rise,  and  what  a  scene  was  there  to  greet 
his  eyes !  What  a  radia  of  woe  surrounded 
his  heart!  What  a  halo  of  shame!  With  an 
agonizing  spirit  he  looked  and  saw  Vince 
lying  face  downward  on  the  cold  earth,  shot 
to  death  by  unerring  missiles  from  the  mur- 
derous shot  gun.  And  the  bright  sun  looked 
sorrowfully  down,  a  silent  witness  to  this 
deed  of  unhuman  butchery.  And  in  the 
woods  near  by  were  heard  the  screams  of  joy 
and  fiendish  yells  of  these  ruffians,  holding 
a  regular  kickapoo  dar  dance  over  his 
remains,  while  the  smoke  from  their  guns 
was  ascending  high  up  in  the  dome  of  day  as 
a  signal  to  the  surrounding  country  that  an- 
other victim  had  been  offered  up.  Who  does 
not  wish  that  he  could  have  cut  fire-brands 
from  the  flames  of  torment  ,and  with  un- 
sparing hand  scattered  them  relentlessly 
through  that  forest?  Humanity  would  have 
directed  the  stroke,  and  civilization  coun- 
tenanced it.     Heaven     help     the     assassin 


158  THE  HISTORY  OP 

whose  unsteady  aim  had  left  Vincent  Hinch- 
cliff  uncrippled  for  he  had  arms  and  he 
would  have  instantly  wielded  them  with  a 
dexterous  hand,  and  unbarred  the  gates  of 
perdition  for  two  hell-deserving  assassins. 
Ai  two  o'clock  of  that  day  two  men  blacked 
were  seen  crossing  a  field  three  miles  east 
of  Vince's,  but  were  not  recognized.  At  the 
October  term,  Fielding  G.,  and  Samuel  Hen- 
derson were  indicted  for  this  murder. 

On  the  night  of  the  12th  day  of  Decem- 
ber 1874,  Captain  Sisney  and  George  Hind- 
man,  a  young  relative,  were  sitting  near  a 
window  on  the  south  side  of  Sisney's  house, 
playing  dominoes,  when  an  assassin  came 
on  the  stoop  in  his  sock  feet,  and  shot 
through  the  window  as  Sisney.  About  forty 
shot  struck  him  in  the  right  arm,  and  car- 
ried away  the  muscle.  Hindman  was  bad- 
ly wounded  in  the  neck  and  arm,  from  which 
he  recovered.  Sisney's  arm  withered  away. 
This  was  a  random  shot,  fired  into  a  family, 
and  the  wickedest  one  ever  fired  in  the 
county.  Marshall  Grain  said  he  did  this 
shooting,  and  that  there  was  no  one  with 
him.  But  the  tracks  of  four  persons  were 
seen  next  day,  and  the  sock-footed  fellow 
made  leaps  that  would  have  strained  Mar- 
shall Grain  considerably.  At  the  April 
Term,  1875,  Timothy  Gagle  was  indicted  for 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.      159 

an  assault  to  murder  each  of  these  parties; 
but  on  what  evidence  I  am  unable  to  tell. 
After  Sisney's  death,  both  cases  were  nolled. 
Marshall  Grain  also  said  that  about  this 
time  he  tried  to  kill  Milton  Black,  who 
had  fought  "Big  Terry,"  and  that  he  way- 
laid John  Sisney,  and  came  very  near  kill- 
ing Worth  Tippy,  one  day,  believing  him  to 
be  Sisney. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1875, 
"Field"  Henderson  was  in  Carterville,  and 
Monroe  Bulliner  went  up  to  him  and  asked 
him  to  explain  why  he  had  inquired  of  the 
chamber  maid  at  the  McNeil  House,  where 
he  slept.  "Field"  said  he  had  not  done  so. 
Monroe  then  asked  him  to  go  to  the  girl  and 
see.  "Field"  said  he  would  not  go,  for  he 
had  not  done  so.  Monroe  said  that  he  was 
satisfied,  but  a  crowd  gathered  around  who 
took  "Field's"  refusal  to  go  see  the  girl  as 
evidence  of  guilt.  Rough  words  were  ex- 
changed and  revolvers  drawn,  and  "Field" 
commenced  backing  off.  He  displayed  re- 
markable coolness  and  courage.  Any  other 
man  would  have  crouched  like  a  spaniel  at 
their  feet;  or  risen  like  a  demon  to  confront 
them ;  but  he  silently  withdrew  and  boarded 
the  train.  The  crowd  got  on  also.  Monroe 
came  into  the  same  car  with  him  and  they 
talked  the  matter  over,  but  the  crowd    was 


160  THE  HISTORY  OF 

barred  up  in  the  baggage  car  by  the  conduc- 
tor, who  stood  in  the  door.  The  train  ran  a 
half  mile  to  Crainville,  where  all  parties  got 
off,  and  "Field"  came  on  to  Marion.  It  aft- 
erwards turned  out  to  be  one  of  Bulliner's 
friends  who  inquired  for  his  room,  in  order 
to  get  a  pistol  he  had  left  there.  Monroe 
Bulliner,  Wesley  Council,  J.  M.  McCarthy, 
Hugh  McCarty  and  John  Moore,  were  indict- 
ed for  a  riot,  for  this  affray,  and  were  tried 
at  the  November  Term  of  the  County  Court, 
187G,  and  acquitted.  When  "Field"  arrived 
in  Marion,  he  went  to  the  residence  of  J.  D. 
F.  Jennings,  State's  Attorney,  to  see  if  he 
was  indicted  for  the  murder  of  Hinchcliff. 
Jennings  told  him  he  was  but  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  until  Court.  "Field"  went  home, 
five  miles  north  of  Marion,  and  Jennings 
came  running  up  town  and  told  that  "Field" 
had  been  there  with  three  revolvers,  and  tried 
to  kill  him  and  "played  thunder"  generally. 
And  he  had  the  whole  town  in  great  excite- 
ment. It  was  published  in  the  papers,  and 
went  the  rounds,  that  "Field"  Henderson, 
the  famous  outlaw  and  desperado,  had  tried 
to  assassinate  the  State's  Attorney  for  do- 
ing his  duty.  The  truth  is,  he  displayed  no 
weapon,  but  acted  as  gentlemanly  as  a  man 
could,  to  my  certain  knowledge.    I  was  Hen- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        161 

derson's  counsel,  and  we  followed  Jennings' 
advice. 

In  February,  the  Deputy  Sheriff  and  an- 
other man  went  out  to  arrest  "Field,"  who, 
when  he  saw  them,  ran  up  stairs,  and  when 
they  came  in  below  he  climbed  down  the 
stoop  and  started  off  through  the  field. 
They  took  after  him  and  fired  on  him  six 
times.  He  returned  the  fire  three  times. 
After  his  escape  he  went  to  Kentucky,  where 
he  remained  two  months,  and  in  April,  1875, 
came  back  and  gave  himself  up,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  bail  on  motion,  on  the  13th  day, 
in  the  sum  of  $5,000,  which  he  gave,  and  at 
the  October  Term  we  went  to  trial,  and  prov- 
ed by  fifteen  good  men  that  they  saw  him 
near  a  church  at  the  very  hour  Hinchcliff 
was  killed,  twelve  miles.  And  the  State's  At- 
torney, after  this  eveidence  was  in,  entered 
a  nolle.  i 

During  the  summer  of  1874,  there  was 
an  organization  of  fifteen  men,  near  Car- 
riers Mills,  in  Saline  county,  who  extended 
their  operations  into  this  county.  They  call- 
ed themselves  "Regulators,"  and  dressed  in 
disguise,  and  went  around  to  set  things  in 
order.  They  did  not  injure  any  person,  but 
simply  notified  those  who  they  thought  out 
of  the  line  of  domestic  duty,  and  even  in  fi- 
nancial affairs  to  flank  into  line  again.  They 

-f  12 


162  THE  HISTORY  OF 

generally  gave  the  victim  such  a  scare  that 
he  was  willing  to  do  anything  to  'be  in  com- 
pany by  himself.  Such  a  band  is  a  disgrace 
to  any  civilized  country;  but  no  serious  re- 
sults or  disparaging  influence  came  from 
this  one.  Rumors  were  currently  circulated 
of  the  good  they  were  doing.  Lazy,  fellows 
took  a  scare,  and  blistered  their  hands  at 
work;  quarrelsome  women  turned  to  pray- 
ing, and  brutish  husbands  became  as  loving 
as  Adonis,  under  the  potent  influence  of  this 
country  clique.  There  was  probably  an  or- 
ganization of  a  more  serious  character  in 
this  county.  Several  men  were  taken  out 
and  whipped,  and  some  ten  or  fifteen  noti- 
fied to  leave  the  county.  This  was  during 
the  year  1874-5. 

On  the  night  of  the  23rd  of  October, 
1874,  a  party  of  twenty  men  in  disguise  vis- 
ited the  family  of  Henry  D.  Carter,  in 
Northern  Precinct,  and  ordered  him  to  leave 
the  county  within  forty  days,  whereupon  a 
fight  took  place,  and  twenty-two  balls  were 
lodged  in  his  house.  In  a  few  days  fifty-two 
men  met  in  arms  at  the  County  Line  Church, 
in  daylight,  and  ordered  six  of  the  Carters 
to  leave  the  county.  Mr.  Carter  wrote  their 
names  to  the  Governor,  imploring  protec- 
tion. The  Governor  wrote  to  Jennings  to 
enforce  the  law,  and  of  course  that  ended  it. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        163 

Several  anonymous  letters  were  written  to 
editors,  threatening  them,  during  thesa 
two  years ;  but  if  there  were  ever  any  regular 
Ku-klux  in  this  county,  outside  of  the  band 
who  hung  Vancil,  it  was  in  1875,  in  the 
west  and  southwest  sides  of  the  county,  and 
a  small  band  which  probably  included  some 
members  of  the  Vendetta. 

After  the  death  of  Hinchcliff,  conster- 
nation seized  every  mind;  mutual  distrust 
and  a  want  of  confidence  was  felt.  The 
solemn  pallor  of  cholera  times  hung  over 
our  people.  Silence  prevaded  the  air.  The 
responsible  men  were  seen  standing  around 
in  groups,  whispering  questions  that  no 
man  dare  answer;  while  the  irresponsible 
part,  and  dead-beats  were  lopping  their 
horses  about  town,  and  making  wild  goose- 
sallies  out  to  the  edge  of  the  bloody  ground, 
quartering  on  some  good  farmer  for  a  day 
and  night,  and  then  come  back  and  report 
some  long,  airy  story  of  the  whereabouts  of 
some  noted  assassin.  Most  men  had  a  plan 
to  advise,  'but  the  execution  of  it  was  gener- 
ally left  to  reckless  young  men,  or  floating 
characters,  who  had  nothing  to  lose  and  all 
to  gain.  Suppressed  curses  were  sometimes 
whispered  against  the  noted  characters,  and 
then  the  parties  would  be  cautioned,  lest  he 
brought  the  kiUings  to  Marion.    A  low  mur- 


164  THE  HISTORY  OP 

mur  or  subdued  excitement,  would  break 
out  in  the  bloody  ground  late  some  evening, 
and  produce  the  greatest  commotion  among 
the  neighbors.  Pistol  shots  had  been  heard 
at  the  back  of  somebody's  field,  and  the 
sound  of  hurrying  feet  of  horses  running, 
and  out  would  come  five  or  six  men,  scared 
like  rabbits,  from  a  thicket.  They  did  not 
like  John  Bulliner's  movements,  or  Tom 
Russell  had  been  seen,  or  James  Norris,  a 
desperate  outlaw  and  daring  desperado, 
armed  to  the  teeth,  was  lurking  in  the  bush- 
es. Reporters  for  city  papers  would  come 
down  here,  and  go  as  near  the  bloody 
grounds  as  they  felt  disposed,  find  out  what 
they  could,  (and  in  those  days  it  was  dan- 
gerous to  seek  to  know  more  of  the  Ven- 
detta than  they  chose  to  tell,)  and  then  go 
back  and  call  us  a  set  of  "blood-thirsty  bar- 
barians," "Italian  brigands,"  and  "Night 
Riding  Ku-klux,"  and  on  top  of  these  out- 
rages a  series  of  letters,  signed  "Big  Pete  of 
the  Woods,"  were  published  by  R.  F.  Brown, 
in  the  Farmer's  Advocate,  in  Marion, 
threatening  everybody  and  especially  the 
State's  Attorney.  Brown's  boy,  afterwards, 
trying  to  convince  me  that  C.  H.  Dennison 
wrote  those  letters,  produced  the  manu- 
scripts, and  I  recognized  in  each  of  them 
the  hand-writing  of  J.  D.  F.  Jennings,  the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.      165 

State's  Attorney.  He  got  terribly  scared  at 
his  own  shadow,  and  had  the  sympathy  of 
many  people  in  his  great  danger.  And  all 
the  time  he  was  fixing  up  a  plan  to  steal 
something  and  run  away,  and  make  the  peo- 
ple believe  that  he  had  to  leave  to  save  his 
life.  He  was  so  warm  that  he  would  burn  a 
man  with  his  kindness,  and  at  the  same 
time  lived  a  life  of  cold-blooded  rascality. 
He  even  reported  that  he  saw  men  around 
his  house,  trying  to  kill  him;  but  the  people 
soon  learned  to  take  the  square  root  of  what 
he  said  for  truth. 

He  was  very  popular,  and  the  secret  of  it 
was  his  manners,  saying  and  opinions.  He 
was  a  professional  doctor,  lawyer,  preacher, 
fiddler,  horn-blower  and  a  libertine.  When 
he  made  music  on  the  square,  a  crowd  would 
swell  around  him.  When  he  preached,  they 
all  went  to  hear  him,  from  the  talented 
aristocracy  down  to  the  boot-black.  He  was 
a  rowdy  among  the  rowdies,  pious  among  the 
pious.  Godless  among  the  Godless,  and  a 
spooney  among  the  women.  He  would  get 
up  in  a  sermon  and  rattle  away  until  the 
shrouds  and  lanyards  of  conscience  must 
have  fairly  quacked  under  the  strains,  and 
then  go,  get  on  a  drunk.  He  was  a  clerical 
blackguard,  whose  groveling  passions  as- 
sumed full  sway  at  all  times.    Lost  to  every 


166  THE  HISTORY  OF 

Christian  restraint,  degraded  in  his  tastes, 
viUianous  in  his  nature,  corrupt  in  his  prin- 
ciples, how  wretched  was  such  an  apology 
for  a  State's  Attorney !  He  suddenly  became 
wise  and  learned  in  the  law  about  his  com- 
peers, and  found  out  that  all  our  witnesses 
were  accomplicies  without  veracity,  and 
those  who  were  branded  as  criminals,  look- 
ed upon  the  law  with  comtempt  of  judgment, 
and  we  stultified  ourselves  trying  to  enforce 
the  law.  "The  wickedest  of  the  people  is 
indeed  great,  when  the  wickedest  men  among 
them  are  men  of  renown."  And  yet  we  had 
to  look  to  a  man  as  our  leader  in  this  great 
emergency,  who  bears  the  character  of  be- 
ing a  most  consummate  scoundrel.  On  his 
face  was  written  legibly,  "  a  liar,  a  hypo- 
crite." A  while  before  he  left,  he  wrote  a 
letter  to  Samuel  Dunaway  and  a  few  other 
rich  men  of  Marion,  threatening  to  kill  them, 
and  signed  it  "Big  Pete."  Then  he  went  to 
these  parties  and  said  he  knew  who  it  was 
wanting  to  kill  them,  and  that  if  they  would 
give  him  $5,000  he  would  hire  men  to  kill 
them,  and  even  told  who  he  could  get  to  do 
it.  He  was  awful  uneasy  for  them !  But  his 
insinuating  toadyism  and  spaniel-like  rev- 
erence for  his  "friends"  were  but  idle  and 
frivolous  assertions  in  this  case.  They 
knew  his  warped  and  biased  soul  was  steeped 
in  infamy  and  falsehood.     About  the  time 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        167 

our  people  began  to  see  the  utter  futility  of 
expecting  anything  like  justice  in  a  court 
where  this  man  was  State's  Attorney,  he  had 
the  good  sense  to  defraud  the  county  of 
$900  and  run  away  and  owing  everybody. 
As  a  prosecutor,  he  was  a  regular  sarcasm 
on  justice,  a  great  hideous  'burlesque;  free 
from  religious  scruples,  and  ready  to  sail 
from  any  point  of  the  compass.  He  has  gone 
out  to  humbug  some  other  people,  and  will 
live  in  our  history  in  an  immortality  of 
shame  and  disgrace.  He  and  Brown,  of  the 
Farmer's  Advocate,  did  more  to  injure  our 
county  than  all  the  shot  guns  in  it. 

In  April  1875,  the  office  was  declared 
vacant,  and  in  June  J.  W.  Hartwell  was  elec- 
ted to  fill  the  vacancy.  On  the  22nd  day  of 
January,  1875,  B.  0.  Jones,  of  Massac,  in- 
troduced a  bill  in  the  Legislature  to  appro- 
priate $10,000  for  the  relief  of  Wilhamson 
County.  But  the  speaker  appointed  a  com- 
mittee against  us,  with  L.  F.  Plater,  of  Har- 
din, as  chairman.  He  wrote  to  our  State's 
Attorney,  Circuit  Clerk,  and  others  for  in- 
formation, but  none  of  them  ever  answered 
him,  and  the  bill  was  cut  down  to  $3,000,  and 
passed  the  House  too  late  to  be  passed  by 
the  Senate.  Hon.  A.  C.  Nelson,  our  Repres- 
entative, won  for  himself  the  illustrious  ap- 
pellation of  "Egyptian  orator,"  fighting  for 
this  bill. 


168  THE  HISTORY  OF 

During  the  spring  of  1875,  several 
blinds  were  found  near  Bulliner's,  and  one 
day  John  went  to  Carbondale,  and  a  fresh 
blind  was  put  up  north  of  his  house,  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile,  so  that  they  could  kill 
him,  as  he  returned.  Monroe  found  this 
blind,  and  told  John  to  look  out,  and  thus 
saved  his  life.  At  one  time  some  men  were 
seen  around  the  house;  but  they  did  not 
get  to  kill  anybody.  At  this  time  the  people 
were  an  entire  arniy  of  observers.  Every 
man  had  his  eyes  riveted  on  the  horizon  of 
crime,  and  his  ears  pricked  to  hear.  On  the 
night  of  the  4th  of  July,  somebody  went  to 
Marshall  Grain's  house,  in  Crainville,  while 
he  was  gone  from  home,  and  fired  a  charge 
of  buck-shot  promiscuously  around  his  bed. 
This  gave  Marshall  such  a  scare  that  he  de- 
termined to  go  back  into  the  Vendetta,  which 
he  had  left  in  January,  and  he  said  he  hired 
to  John  BulHner  to  kill  Sisney  for  $300,  and 
got  all  the  money  but  $5.  He  wanted  to  kill 
John  Sisney  first,  but  Bulliner  would  have 
him  kill  the  old  man.  Being  afraid  to  stay 
at  home,  he  and  his  wife  went  to  Samuel 
Music's  to  board.  On  the  7th  he  asked  Sam, 
if  he  got  into  trouble  would  he  help  him  out. 
Sam  said  he  would.  Again,  on  the  8th,  he 
asked  him,  and  Sam  said  he  would  swear  for 
him,  and  clear  him.    Marshall  said  John  Sis- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      169 

ney  had  shot  into  his  house,  and  he  wanted 
revenge,  and  he  wanted  Sam  to  swear  him 
out  of  trouble.    Sam  agreed  to  do  so. 

About  ten  o'clock  Wednesday,  July  the 
28th,  Marshall  started  out  from  Music's, 
and  went  to  a  neighbor's,  and  borrowed  a 
gun,  saying  that  he  wanted  to  go  a  hunting ; 
but  in  fact  he  hardly  knew  what  he  did  want 
with  it.  He  went  down  within  two  miles  of 
Car'bondale,  and  concealed  his  gun  in  an  old 
house  on  the  road,  near  Mrs.  Snider's,  and 
went  into  the  field  where  the  Snider  boys 
were  thashing  wheat.  Here  he  met  the 
famous  Allen  Baker,  and  had  a  few  words 
with  him  privately.  This  was  late  in  the 
evening.  He  then  went  back  to  the  old  house 
and  left  his  coat  and  boots,  and  just  after 
dark,  went  to  Carbondale,  where  George  Sis- 
ney  had  moved  a  few  months  before  for 
safety.  It  was  raining,  and  in  going  up  East 
Main  street,  he  carried  a  board  over  his  gun, 
to  keep  it  dry.  When  he  met  anybody  he 
would  lay  his  gun  under  the  side-walk,  pass 
on  and  then  go  back  and  get  it;  and  this  he 
did  as  many  as  six  times.  Capt.  Sisney 
lived  on  the  northeast  corner  of  the  square, 
his  house  extending  eastward  and  facing 
south,  with  a  porch  on  the  south  side.  Mar- 
shall went  up  slowly,  but  Sisney  had  already 
retired.    He  waited  around  the  premises  for 


170  THE  HISTORY  OP 

a  while,  and  when  anybody  would  pass  with 
lanterns,  he  would  go  back  to  an  old  wood 
shed  in  a  dark  alley,  on  the  east  side.  The 
evening  train  was  late  that  night,  and  when 
Marsh,  had  got  tired  and  almost  gave  up  all 
hope,  it  came,  and  on  board  was  Overton 
Stanley,  a  friend  of  Sisney's,  who  went  di- 
rectly to  Sisney's  house  to  get  Sisney  to  sign 
a  note  with  him  as  his  security.  He  called, 
and  about  half  past  nine  o'clock,  Sisney  came 
down  in  his  parlor,  and  after  lighting  a 
lamp,  signed  the  note  and  sat  down  near  a 
window,  on  the  south  side;  his  hands  lay 
folded  across  his  lap.  It  was  a  night  of  rain 
and  clouds.  The  wind  swept  sighingly 
through  the  foliage  of  the  trees,  with  a  rust- 
ling sound,  as  of  swollen  waters.  The  long, 
plaintive  howl  of  the  watch  dog  came  hur- 
riedly by,  and  mournfully  fell  an  the  ears  of 
Marshall  Grain,  when  the  sobs  of  the  gale 
would  subside.  He  went  into  the  old  shed 
and  put  fresh  caps  on  his  gun,  and  then  went 
slipping,  half  stooped  along  on  the  porch 
but  was  so  thirsty  that  he  laid  his  gun  down 
and  went  out  into  the  street  and  drank  out 
of  a  mud-hole  with  his  hands;  then  taking 
his  gun,  he  stepped  to  the  window.  The  cur- 
tains were  blown  about  softly  in  the  breeze. 
All  inside  wore  the  sombre  gray  tint  of  light. 
He  gently  blowed  against  the  curtains,  and 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS^      171 

saw  two  men,  'but  could  not  tell  which  was 
Sisney.  Again  he  blowed  and  saw  a  pair  of 
legs,  and  was  about  to  shoot,  when  he  saw 
that  the  man  had  on  fine  boots.  That  was 
not  Sisney.  His  breath,  assisted  by  the 
wind,  parted  the  curtains  again,  and  he  saw 
the  black,  stiff  beard  of  Sisney.  He  stepped 
back,  cocked  both  barrels  of  his  gun,  raised 
it  to  his  shoulder.  Just  then  he  heard  Sis- 
ney say,  "I  guess  it  is  time  to  retire."  Stan- 
ley asked, 

"What  kind  of  a  man  is  George  Moore  ?" 

Sisney  replied :  "He  is  a  bad  one ;  he  is 
all  right,  and  is  a  worse  man  than  he  looks 
to  be." 

Marshall  Grain  pulled  the  trigger,  and 
George  W.  Sisney  laid  still  in  death's  eternal 
sleep.    Marshall  heard  Sisney  say — 

"Oh,  Lord,  I  am  shot !  Lord,  have  mercy 
on  me !" 

It  was  the  only  expression  of  despair  that 
ever  came  from  the  brave  heart  of  George 
Sisney,  although  he  had  four  times  before 
survived  the  murderous  missiles. 
"Wearied,  forsaken  and  pursued,  at  last, 
All  safety  in  despair  of  safety  placed, 
Courage  he  thence  resumes,  resolves  to  bear 
All  their  assaults,  since  'tis  in  vain  to  fear." 

After  the  murder  that  night,  the  winds 
sallied,  and  a  cold,  white  fog  laid  its  moist 


172  THE  HISTORY  OF 

fingers  on  the  heated  pulse  of  Carbondale. 
The  scene  in  this  stricken,  smitten  and  af- 
flicted family  was  heart  rending.  Mrs. 
Sisney,  who  had  raised  the  window  up  stairs 
and  cried  out  for  help,  was  now  wringing 
her  hands  in  agony.  Martha  Jane,  who  was 
sleeping  in  an  adjoining  room  below,  woke 
up,  heard  a  strangling  noise,  and  asked  her 
father  what  was  the  matter;  receiving  no 
answer,  dressed  herself,  and  went  into  the 
parlor.  The  light,  six  feet  away,  had  been 
blown  out  by  the  concussion,  and  all  was 
dark.    Stanley  said — 

"Your  pa  is  shot.  Mr.  Sisney  is  killed 
dead." 

He  had  locked  the  front  door,  and  she 
opened  it  and  called  for  help.  The  sad  and 
heavy-hearted  citizens  came  in  droves,  their 
eyes  flashing  with  resentment,  and  their 
spirits  rankling  in  bitter  malice.  They  fol- 
lowed the  assassin  a  piece  but  could  not  keep 
his  trail.  Sisney  remained  seated  for  an 
hour  and  a  half  upright  in  his  chair,  shot  un- 
der the  left  nipple, which  made  a  hole  two 
inches  in  diameter.  He  was  buried  on  the 
80th,  on  his  homestead,  with  Masonic  hon- 
ors. There  we  leave  him  forever.  Shall  his 
memory  go  back  to  oblivion  and  shame,  or 
shall  it  follow  those  who  have  gone  without 
blame  from  intelligence,  virtue  or  Heaven? 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       173 

I  would  write  for  his  epitaph,  "An  honest, 
brave,  true  man." 

After  the  murder,  Marshall  Grain  ran 
down  East  street  with  his  gun,  and  crossed 
into  the  bushes  on  the  north  side  of  the  road 
leading  east.  When  he  got  into  Mrs.  Snider' s 
field,  he  got  lost  in  the  dark.  The  thunders 
bellowed  over  head  like  the  trumpet  of  the 
great  arch-angel  calling  sinners  to  judg- 
ment. Crash  upon  crash,  and  roar  upon 
rear,  till  the  vast  vault  of  heaven  was  filled 
with  the  giant  sound.  The  lightning,  broad 
and  bright  flooded  the  whole  sky  with  a 
lurid  red,  flashing  its  fire  across  the  field, 
and  illuminating  with  a  dreadful  light  his 
solitary  form  alone  amid  the  wrath  of  the  ele- 
ments. After  wading  through  swamps  and 
bushes,  he  arrived  at  his  mother-in-law's, 
nine  miles  from  Carbondale,  just  before  day, 
tired,  wearied  and  almost  broken  down. 
Next  morning,  Colonel  D.  H.  Bush,  of  Car- 
bondale, offered  a  reward  of  $500,  which 
he  refused  to  pay  on  the  conviction  of  Bulli- 
ner  and  Baker  for  the  murder  of  Sisney,  and 
suit  was  brought  against  him  by  B.  F.  Lowe, 
which  is  now  pending.  Samuel  Music,  who 
was  teaming  for  Captain  Landrum,  was  in 
Carbondale  the  day  Sisney  was  killed.  He 
saw  Marshall  Crain  there  (for  he  had  been 
in  a  while  that  day),  who  told  him  that  he 


174  THE  HISTORY  OF 

was  there  to  kill  Slsney,  and  he  told  Sam 
where  he  had  left  his  coat  and  boots.  Sam 
got  them,  and  wore  the  boots  out.  On  the 
morning  after  the  murder,  Music  said,  he, 
Marshall,  and  Allen  Baker  met  in  Carterville, 
and  Baker  gave  as  a  reason  for  not  coming  to 
help  him  in  the  killing,  as  he  had  promised 
at  Mrs.  Snider's,  that  it  rained.  About  noon, 
Marshall,  Music  and  John  Bulliner,  met  in 
Crainville,  and  Marshall  told  John  that  Sam 
was  into  this  thing  too,  now,  and  they  both 
told  Sam  if  he  told  this  he  would  be  the  next 
man  killed.  Marshall  then  told  John  how  he 
killed  Sisney,  and  John  paid  him  $15,  and 
told  him  he  would  pay  him  the  rest  when  he 
sold  his  wheat.  The  same  day,  "Big  Jep" 
Grain  came  to  Marion.  His  presence  in  town 
created  a  great  deal  of  talk,  and  most  people 
believed  he  was  in  the  Vendetta.  He  want- 
ed to  join  a  proposed  company  of  militia, 
and  be  the  captain.  He  said  he  could  stop 
the  killing;  but  before  this  a  subscription 
paper  had  been  circulated  to  employ  detec- 
tives, and  he  signed  $25,  and  after  a  while 
he  said  "he  did  not  like  the  direction  things 
were  taking,"  and  withdrew  it. 

He  went  down  to  Crainville,  Friday  even- 
ing, about  four  o'clock,  and  he  and  Marshall 
and  Music  (according  to  Music's  statement), 
went  down  to  Marshall's  old  house,  and  after 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       175 

playing  cards  and  drinking  a  while,  "Big 
Jep"  said :  "The  next  man  to  kill  is  Spence," 
and  told  Music  to  go  to  John  Bulliner's  and 
get  a  gim  for  "Black  Bill"  Grain.  Music 
said  he  would  not  do  it ;  that  he  would  be  seen 
but  he  would  get  one  from  John  Ditmore,  in 
Crainville,  if  that  would  do.  "Big  Jep"  said 
it  would  do,  and  that  he  would  go  that  night 
and  get  "Black  Bill"  who  lived  four  miles 
south  of  Crainville,  and  meet  him  and  Marsh 
next  morning  at  the  'back  of  Mrs.  Hampton's 
field,  which  is  only  three  miles  south. 
"Big  Jep"  went  off,  and  at  dark.  Music 
went  to  John  Ditmore's  to  get  his  gun,  but 
John  would  not  let  it  out  at  night,  and  told 
him  to  come  in  the  morning,  which  he 
did  very  early  and  got  the  gun,  and  put  it  in 
Marsh's  old  house.  Then  Sam  and  Marsh 
got  three  pints  of  whiskey,  and  met  in  the 
woods  at  the  back  of  "Yaller  Bill's"  field, 
from  where  they  walked  to  the  back  of  Mrs. 
Hampton's  field.  At  the  north-west  corner 
a  path  led  up  into  the  woods.  They  broke 
weeds  and  bushes  off  and  threw  them  in  the 
path  as  a  "sign"  and  went  on  up  the  hill. 
There  they  fired  three  pistol  shots  as  a  sig- 
nal to  "Big  Jep"  and  "Black  Bill,"  who  came 
about  twelve  o'clock,  two  hours  after  Marsh 
and  Sam  had  got  there.  The  object  of  this 
meeting  was  to  initiate  Sam  into  the  Ku-Klux 


176  THE  HISTORY  OF 

as  he  said  that  "Big  Jep"  thought  they  had 
better  join  them  for  protection,  but  they  did 
not  do  so.  They  agreed  to  kill  Spence  that 
night.  Sam,  "Black  Bill"  and  Marsh  were  to 
do  the  killing,  and  "Big  Jep"  was  to  keep 
them  out  of  trouble.  He  told  them,  if  they 
got  in  jail  not  to  mind  staying  there  two  or 
three  months,  that  the  door  would  be  smash- 
ed in  and  they  taken  out. 

They  parted,  and  "Big  Jep"  went  with 
"Black  Bill,"  and  Sam  and  Marsh  went  to 
Wesly  Grain's  and  got  dinner.  Sam  went 
home  and  then  to  Carterville,  and  got  some 
more  whisky,  and  at  dark  met  "Black  Bill" 
and  Marshall  at  the  back  of  "Yaller  Bill's" 
field,  near  Crainville.  They  went  up  to 
Marsh's  old  house,  about  two  hundred  yards 
south  of  Spence's  store,  where  tliey  wailed 
until  ten  o'clock,  when  everything  got  still. 
Then  Marshall  took  a  gun,  which  he  had  got 
out  of  a  hollow  tree  in  the  woods,  said  to  be  a 
Eulliner  gun,  and  they  circled  around 
through  the  woods  and  came  up  on  the  east 
side  of  Spence's  store. 

The  rose-flush  of  day  had  faded  in  the 
\^'est.  The  sombre-gray  of  twilight  had  fal- 
len around  them,  and  the  watching  stars 
had  taken  their  stand  in  the  conclave  up 
above  ,  like  unhappy  sentinels  doomed  to 
keep  watch  over  the  infinity  of  the  ocean. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       177 

Spence  was  asleep  up  stairs.  They  were  en- 
vironed 'by  the  intense  stillness.  The  thought 
of  murder  rolled  slowly  through  their  minas, 
but  still  they  did  not  relent.  The  eastern 
horizon  was  silvered  by  the  rising  moon,  and 
looked  like  a  huge  mass  of  beryl  whereon 
burned  ruby  flakes  of  vapor,  guarded  by  the 
vestal  stars  above.  The  Sapphire  arch  over- 
head burned  beautiful  and  mellow.  Mar- 
shall went  to  the  door  and  called  out,  "Mr. 
Spence."  Spence  asked  who  was  there. 
Marshall  said,  "John  Sisney;  I  want  to  get 
shrouding  for  a  child."  Spence  said  he 
would  be  down  in  a  minute.  Soon  the  tall, 
august  form  of  William  Spence,  illuminated 
by  a  solitary  light,  was  seen  towering  grand- 
ly between  the  counters.  When  he  got  to 
the  door,  Marshall  fired  both  barrels  into 
his  abdomen — a  charge  of  sixty  buck-shot. 
Spence  said,  "Marsh,  don't  shoot  me  any 
more!"  This  was  an  address  to  humanity. 
It  was  a  heart-rendering  cry  of  distress  from 
a  soul  in  mortal  strait.  Such  a  cry  ought  not 
to  go  unheeded  by  a  brother  man ;  but  Marsh 
run  his  arm  through  the  broken  pane  in  the 
door,  and  shot  him  with  a  pistol  in  the  face, 
as  he  fell.  He  then  punched  a  pane  out  of 
the  glass  front  with  his  gun,  and  went  into 
the  house,  and  searched  around  through 
trunks  and  drawers  for  two  or  three  minu- 
-r  13 


178  THE  HISTORY  OP 

tes,  when  "Black  Bill"  called  him  out.  He 
had  an  old  empty  pocket-book.  They  walked 
off  east,  along  the  railroad,  half  a  mile,  and 
then  turned  south  into  "Big  Terry's"  field, 
and  came  out  into  an  old  road,  where  Music 
asked,  "What  will  I  do  if  I  am  arrested?" 
"Black  Bill"  said,  "Have  me  and  Marsh  sub- 
poenaed, and  we  will  swear  you  clear." 

After  the  shooting  of  Henderson,  no  man 
ever  understood  that  it  was  necessary  to  fly. 
They  separated  and  went  home.  This  occur- 
red July  31,  1875. 

William  Spence  was  but  little  known  in 
this  county.  He  came  here  a  few  years  ago, 
but  attended  to  his  own  business  and  said 
but  little.  He  was  a  good  man,  strong,  firm 
and  dignified  to  stiffness;  but  was  making 
money.  His  death  left  no  orphan  or  widow 
to  wail  at  his  hearth-stone.  Though  about 
forty  years  of  age,  he  was  unmarried.  Af- 
ter he  was  shot  he  laid  in  his  store  all  night, 
and  was  not  found  until  the  holy  hush  of 
Sunday  morning  rested  like  a  benediction  on 
"the  scene.  Sunday  morning.  Marsh  and 
Music  again  met  at  the  back  of  Mrs.  Hamp- 
ton's field,  and  Marsh  drew  his  revolver  on 
Sam,  and  told  him  he  believed  he  was  a 
traitor,  on  account  of  some  strange  whist- 
ling he  had  heard,  and  if  he  did  not  find  the 
whisky,  which  he  had  concealed  the  day  be- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       179 

fore,  he  would  kill  him.  While  Sam  was 
preparing  a  hurried  absolution,  he  found  the 
whisky,  which  saved  his  life.  Marshall 
afterwards  said  he  wished  he  had  shot  him; 
that  he  thought  he  was  neglecting  his  duty. 

On  this  same  day,  August  1st,  Allen  Ba- 
ker, who  lived  on  the  dirt  road,  at  the  Crab 
Orchard  Bridge  in  Jackson  county,  was 
fired  on  by  an  assassin,  who  mistook  Baker'f* 
shadow  on  the  window-blind  for  his  body, 
and  let  in  a  charge  of  buck  shot  without  kill- 
ing anybody. 

Music  was  coming  back  from  the  meet- 
ings at  the  back  of  Mrs.  Hampton's  field 
on  Sunday  afternoon,  drunk,  as  usual,  and 
a  mile  south  of  Crainville,  he  fell  in  with 
Carroll  Wagoner  and  his  wife,  who  were 
going  home  to  Crainville.  He  got  in  the 
wagon  with  them,  and  the  subject  of  the 
murder  came  up,  when  Music  said,  "Yes,  we 
put  the  damned  old  scoundrel  out  of  the 
way."  Mrs.  Wagoner  of  course  knew  that 
"we"  meant  Music,  Marshall  and  "Big  Jep." 
Late  Monday  evening  following,  Music, 
Marsh  and  "Yaller  Bill"  met  in  Crainville, 
near  Landrum's  Mills,  and  "Yaller  Bill"  said, 
"Did  either  of  you  boys  get  my  jewelry?" 
Marsh  said,  "No."  Bill  said,  "If  anybody  got 
his  watch,  it  has  his  name  in  it,  and  they  will 
be  detected  and  pull  hemp  as  sure  as  hell." 


180  THE  HISTORY  OP 

He  then  advised  Marsh  to  take  his  wife  to 
her  mother's  and  leave  the  country,  and 
told  Sam  to  stop  drinking,  or  he  would  leak 
it  out.  He  said,  "There  is  getting  too  many 
in  this  thing  anyway." 

This  conversation  is  taken  from  Music's 
statement,  and  was  denied  by  all  the  other 
boys.  This  is  the  only  evidence  of  "Yaller 
Bill's"  connection  with  the  Vendetta.  Our 
people  do  not  believe  he  is  guilty.  They  say 
that  if  he  gave  Marsh  the  advice  spoken  of 
'by  Music,  that  it  is  no  more  than  any  other 
brother  would  have  done.  Music  went  to 
Carbondale  on  Tuesday,  and  remained  two 
weeks.  While  there.  Marsh  tried  to  get  him 
out  several  times,  but  Sam  was  afraid  and 
would  not  come.  Marsh  left  in  about  a  week 
after  the  murder  and  went  to  Missouri,  and 
Sam  went  to  Bird's  Point,  in  the  same  state. 

Never  has  there  been  a  season  of  such 
universal  consternation  and  anxiety  among 
all  sexes  and  ages  and  was  in  this  county.  It 
threatened  us  and  our  posterity  with  perpetu- 
al odium,  and  the  very  thought  of  having  our 
county  branded  with  lasting  shame,  filled  us 
with  living  emotions  of  anger  and  fire.  All 
felt  that  it  was  a  time  to  summon  every  aid, 
both  human  and  divine,  and  with  the  bay- 
onets save  our  county.  Political  prejudices 
and  feelings,  which  had  entered  largely  in- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       181 

to  the  animus  of  the  Vendetta  heretofore, 
were  lost  sight  of  in  the  duties  of  the  hour. 
It  was  an  understanding  that  Republicans 
sympathized  with  the  Russell  side,  and  the 
Democrats  with  the  Bulliner  side  of  the  Ven- 
detta; but  now  public  considerations  of  a 
higher  character  attracted  the  attention  of 
our  people,  and  they  rose  above  the  tram- 
mels of  political  sympathies,  and  united  as  a 
band  of  honest  freemen.  No  language  that  I 
can  command  can  give  adequate  utterance  to 
the  feelings  that  it  awakened  in  us,  to  hear 
of  our  friends  being  shot  down  like  beasts. 
It  was  chafing  to  our  hopes  and  gadding  to 
our  spirits.  Many  believed  that  we  were 
standing  on  the  threshold  of  a  mighty  convul- 
sion, and  they  watched  it  with  wonder  and 
awe.  Others  prayed  to  that  Being  who  sets 
liberty  up  and  oppression  down,  to  break  the 
tornado  that  was  hanging  over  us  like  a  pall . 
Our  lands  went  down  in  value  one-third  to 
one-half.  The  coal  fields  lay  dormant.  The 
fields  of  grain  that  were  annually  gathered 
on  the  west  side  of  the  county  nearly  fail- 
ed. These  were  stubborn  facts,  known  at 
home  and  read  by  thinking  minds  through- 
out the  world.  The  name  of  Williamson 
county  had  become  a  hiss  and  by-word. 
Strangers  shunned  us  like  a  serpent,  and  the 
sting  was  felt.     Affairs    were    deplorable. 


182  THE  HISTORY  OP 

Ruffianism  was  rampant.  Noted  asassins 
were  concealed  in  the  thickets  of  the  bloody 
ground.  This  was  a  daily  talk,  spoken  out 
in  thunder  tones,  that  all  understood.  The 
air  was  filled  with  omens  of  disaster.  Pass 
the  street  corners  and  the  breath  of  murder 
was  whispered  in  your  face.  Bold  assassins 
stalked  unbridled  and  unchecked.  To  bring 
these  outlaws  to  justice  was  the  universal  de- 
sire of  our  people;  but  how  to  do  it  was  a 
point  that  put  to  silence  the  entire  country. 
The  people  were  cussing  the  officers.  Those 
who  knew  anything  were  afraid  to  tell  it. 
Some  were  clamorous  for  public  meetings, 
others  for  militia,  and  a  few  for  rewards. 
Massac  county  was  crying  to  us  from  the 
memory  of  her  dead  Vendetta ;  Missouri  was 
pleading  with  us  with  her  mangled  hundreds, 
telling  us  to  think  of  the  gallows  and  the 
recollections  that  it  suggested;  the  newspa- 
pers were  holding  a  regular  matinee  over  us, 
and  sending  a  devastating  storm  of  shot  at 
our  blood-stained  county.  There  was  no  re- 
lying on  internal  strength.  What  was  de- 
fective within  was  aggravated  by  what  was 
bad  from  without.  The  abuse  from  without 
aggravated  the  evil  influence  within,  which 
caused  the  banks  of  crime  to  overflow,  and 
spread  ruin  and  woe  over  the  fairest  lands  of 
"Egypt."    The  minds  which  needed  harden- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       183 

ing  were  relaxed.  The  hearts  which  needed 
ifortifying  were  dissolved.  The  passions 
which  needed  cooling  were  irritated  and  dis- 
qualified  for  considerate  action. 

At  this  crisis  it  was  suggested  that  we 
meet  and  pass  resolutions  that  there  had  nev- 
er been  any  crime  committed  in  this  county, 
and  straddle  the  "dark  clouds  that  lowered 
over  our  house"  on  some  other  county. 

During  this  year  the  most  malignant 
falsehoods  and  slanders  were  hurled  over  the 
country  about  this  county,  and  were  received 
with  implicit  faith.  At  any  other  time  they 
would  have  returned  to  pay  the  inventor  with 
a  vengeance.  I  raised  my  voice  against  these 
outrages,  and  claimed  that  it  was  steel  pens, 
not  shot-guns  that  were  ruining  the  business 
interests  of  our  county.  I  knew  that  it  was 
not  the  falling  into  crime  that  would  ruin  us, 
but  the  lying  in  it.  And  I  did  not  extenuate 
crime  by  apologizing  for  the  inaction  of  our 
people.  I  agreed  that  all  collective  crimes 
were  conceived  in  darkness  and  nursed  in  se- 
cret, and  challenged  the  attention  of  men  only 
in  their  efforts  and  results,  and  that  all  our 
people  wanted  was  time.  They  would  not 
raise  vigilance  committees,  as  they  were  ad- 
vised by  the  press,  and  go  out  to  cutting  and 
shooting  their  fellow-men,  like  the  cruel 
Moors.    Unexpected  as  was  this  deep  display 


184  THE  HISTORY  OP 

of  blood-thirsty  feelings,  the  country  ought 
not  to  be  surprised  that  our  people  were  un- 
prepared to  meet  it.  We  live  in  an  age  of 
surprise.  The  events  of  1875  show  us  that 
it  is  impossible  to  count  on  what  next  week 
will  bring.  We  never  can  outlive  conspiracy 
until  men  are  taken  by  the  hand  instead  of 
the  throat.  I  did  not  pause  to  deny  the 
follies  and  crimes  of  individuals  in  the  county 
had  lent  plausibility  to  the  maledictions  then 
rife  upon  us,  'but  insisted  that  the  whole  ar- 
cana of  human  ingenuity  had  been  rifled  to 
find  a  plan  to  stop  it,  and  that  it  would  be 
stopped  by  rewards.  The  mills  of  the  gods 
ground  slowly  in  our  case,  but  they  ground 
well.  Some  of  the  papers,  in  speaking  of 
this  county,  had  the  skull  and  cross-bones  at 
the  head.  I  thought  that  reporters  could  de- 
nounce crime  without  criminal  and  barbarous 
outrages  on  a  community  of  honest  men. 
Some  of  them  evinced  a  reckless  disregard 
for  justice,  fairness  and  truth,  and  spoke  of 
us  with  a  venom  and  zest  that  argued  the 
basest  kind  of  demonstration,  which  called 
for  stern  and  outspoken  rebuke  from  every 
honest  and  virtuous  man.  They  tore  down 
the  protection  of  our  reputation — the  bul- 
wark of  society — and  left  us  defenseless  in 
the  presence  of  malevolent  villancy. 

That  anybody  should  delight  in  this  kind 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        185 

of  moral  piracy,  and  leave  a  community  open 
to  the  ravages  of  moral  cormorants,  is  a 
melancholy  subject  to  think  of.  God  never 
gave  any  man  the  right  to  poison  the  springs 
of  happiness  in  this  way.  But  it  is  unjust  to 
charge  the  country  indiscriminately  with  this 
crime.  There  were  some  noble  exceptions. 
The  Jonesboro  Gazette  and  Illinois  Journal 
piaintained  a  diginified  course  towards  us 
that  was  as  commendable  and  just  as  it  was 
prudent  and  wise.  During  the  year  1874-5 
this  county  had  as  good  and  trustworthy  a 
set  of  Justices  and  Constables  as  any  in  the 
state,  and  all  offenses,  except  assassi- 
nations, were  as  effectually  punished. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  August,  1875,  Gov- 
ernor Beveridge  wrote  to  our  sheriff,  offer- 
ing to  do  all  in  his  power  to  relieve  the 
county  whenever  the  Sheriff  throught  prop- 
er to  call  on  him.  At  the  August  Special 
Term,  1875,  the  County  Commissioners  of- 
fered a  reward  of  $1,000  for  each  of  the  mur- 
derers of  David  Bulliner,  James  Henderson, 
Vincent  Hinchcliff  and  William  Spence,  and 
on  the  9th  day  of  August,  the  Governor  issu- 
ed a  proclamation  offering  $400  reward  for 
the  arrest  and  conviction  of  each  of  the  crim- 
inals referred  to,  and  also  for  the  murderers 
of  George  W.  Sisney  and  George  Bulliner. 
And  on  the  22nd  of  August,    the    Jackson 


186  THE  HISTORY  OP 

County  Court  offered  $400  reward  for  the 
murderers  of  Sisney  and  Bulliner. 

This  was  a  gloomy  period,  but  it  was  that 
gloom  which  preceded  the  dawn.  It  was  the 
dark  hour  which  ushered  in  the  bright  morn- 
ing. Criminals  leave  gates  open  for  detec- 
tion. There  are  certain  weak  meshes  in  the 
network  of  develish  texture.  We  are  just 
looking  forward  to  no  distant  day  when  tne 
dark  veil  that  concealed  the  festering 
crimes  of  the  county  should  render  asunder 
by  a  daring  and  skillful  hand.  It  came.  Mrs. 
Wagoner  told  her  'brother,  James  H.  Duncan, 
of  Marion,  who  the  guilty  parties  were.  Mr. 
Duncan  is  a  man  about  thirty-six  years  old, 
very  intelligent,  firm  as  a  rock,  and  a  man 
of  remarkable  courage.  He  could  not  with- 
hold his  efforts  in  behalf  of  his  suffering 
countrymen,  while  they  were  bleeding  at  ev- 
ery vein.  In  him,  the  people  felt  that  they 
had  a  leader  in  whom  they  could  trust.  A 
man  of  discretion  and  nerve,  and  though  for 
a  long  time  he  was  not  publicly  known  in  the 
work,  yet  he  was  backing  all  the  efforts  and 
laid  all  the  plans.  A  woman  told  who  were 
guilty,  but  it  took  a  man  of  iron  to  arrest 
and  bring  them  to  justice.  Mr.  Duncan 
stood  up  firmly  on  the  side  of  the  people 
throughout  the  prosecutions,  and  but  for  his 
discretion  and  assistance,  we  might  today  be 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOISw       187 

suffering  the  calamities  of  a  Vendetta.  He 
went  to  a  "friend"  and  told  him  he  knew 
who  killed  Spence,  and  he  intended  to  have 
them  brought  to  justice,  and  he  wanted  some 
man  to  execute  his  plans.  His  "friend"  ad- 
vised him  to  get  Benjamin  F.  Lowe,  of  Ma- 
rion. Lowe  agreed  to  go  into  it.  Sam  Music 
was  the  first  man  to  be  arrested.  Lowe 
went  to  Cairo  and  inquired  at  the  postoffice 
for  a  letter  for  Samuel  Music;  being  told 
that  there  was  one,  he  told  the  postmaster  not 
to  let  anybody  have  it  but  Music  in  person. 
Lowe  then  got  the  deputy  sheriff,  and  about 
an  hour  Samuel  called  for  his  letter  and 
was  arrested.  Lowe  brought  him  to  Marion 
on  the  10th  day  of  September.  No  confi- 
dence was  put  in  the  move  by  the  people, 
and  consequently  no  stir  was  made  until 
Music  was  taken  before  Young,  J.  P.,  and 
askcil  time  for  trial.  His  case  was  set  down 
for  hearing  September  20th,  and  he  sent  to 
jail.  Two  hours  afterwards,  through  the  in- 
fluence of  Captain  Landrum,  who  promised 
him  protection,  he  sent  for  the  Sheriff  and 
Circuit  Clerk,  and  made  a  complete  confes- 
sion of  killing  Spence  and  Sisney,  and  im- 
plicated "Big  Jep,"  "Black  Bill,"  "Yaller 
Bill,"  Samuel  R.  Crain,  Marshall  Crain,  John 
Bulliner  and  Allen  Baker.  Lowe  then  swore 
out  writs  against  these  parties  for  murder, 


188  THE  HISTORY  OP 

and  the  Sheriff  summoned  a  posse  of  twenty- 
five  men  and  boarded  the  train  for  Crainvile 
seven  miles  west. 

Here  "Big  Jep,"  Yaller  Bill"  and  Sam- 
uel R.  were  arrested.  The  Sheriff  then  went 
with  a  few  men  to  "Black  Bill's"  and  arrested 
him,  and  another  party  went  after  John  Bul- 
liner,  and  they  were  all  'brought  to  Marion 
that  night  and  put  under  guard.  Lowe  went 
on  to  Carbondale  and  got  Grain,  and  went 
to  DuQuoin  after  Allen  Baker,  who  had 
moved  up  there  awhile  before.  They  found 
Baker  at  home,  and  Lowe  said :  "We  want 
you  to  go  to  Marion  for  killing  Spence."  Ba- 
ker made  fun  of  the  charge ;  he  got  very  mad, 
and  Lowe  took  down  a  revolver  which  was 
sticking  in  the  wall.  Baker  said,  "You  dam- 
ned thief,  put  that  back  or  steal  something 
else."  Lowe  said  he  would  when  it  became 
necessary;  that  he  would  look  around — that 
he  thought  he  could  find  a  Bulliner  gun, — 
this  was  their  pistol.  Lowe  said,  "I  have 
been  told  that  you  are  a  brave  man  and  a 
powerful  man,  and  that  you  just  ate  men 
whole;  so  don't  be  surprised  if  I  act  a  lit- 
tle curious  in  your  presence."  Baker  de- 
manded their  authority.  Lowe  told  him  to 
look  at  Bush  and  himself;  they  were  the  pa- 
pers in  the  case.  Lowe  arrived  in  Marion 
with  him  next  morning. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       189 

On  Monday,  the  13th,  their  case  was  call- 
ed before  John  H.  Reynolds,  J.  P.,  but  by 
agreement  was  set  down  for  hearing  on  the 
16th.  The  prisoners  were  loosely  guarded 
around  town  for  a  few  days,  and  the  people 
became  indignant,  and  the  Sheriff  put  them 
in  jail.  Music  accused  Bulliner,  Baker  and 
Samuel  R.  Grain  with  the  murder  of  Sisney, 
in  Jackson  county.  Lowe  went  before  Mur- 
phy, J.  P.,  in  Murphysboro,  and  swore  out  a 
writ  for  them  there,  and  Sheriff  Kimball 
came  over  on  the  15th,  and  took  them  over  to 
the  Jackson  jail,  where  they  were  tried  on 
the  22nd,  Music  testifying  against  them, 
Samuel  R.  was  released  for  want  of  evidence 
against  him,  and  the  others  committed.  The 
greatest  excitement  prevailed.  A  special 
term  of  the  County  Court  was  convened,  and 
the  State  Attorney  empowered  to  employ 
counsel  to  assist  him.  He  employed  the  Hon. 
W.  J.  Allen  and  A.  D.  Duff,  of  Carbondale. 
The  employment  of  these  men  produced  a 
revolution  in  public  sentiment.  The  rich 
men  stepped  to  the  front,  and  the  bummers 
stepped  aside.  Landrum,  Ogden,  Nelson, 
Washburn,  Ferrell,  Herring,  Harrison,  Good- 
all,  Campbell,  Grider,  Mitchell,  Young,  and 
a  host  of  others,  who  have  stood  up  for  the 
right  and  breasted  the  world's  dark  tide  for 
the  good  of  the  county,  came  on  the  stage, 


190  THE  HISTORY  OF 

holding  up  one  hand  to  save  the  innocent, 
and  the  other  to  crush  the  guilty.  And  our 
imagination  which  had  been  so  used  to  scenes 
of  blood,  was  now  playing  over  the  rope  and 
gallows;  and  our  ears,  which  had  heard  the 
shrieks  of  agonizing  victims  and  the  fierce 
yells  of  their  savage  slayers,  were  now  sa- 
luted by  the  slogan  of  returning  justice. 

On  Friday,  September  16th,  tne  case  was 
called,  the  People  proving  the  facts  above  de- 
tailed of  the  murder.  The  defense  was  an 
alibi,  W.  W.  Clemens  and  J.  B.  Calvert  ap- 
pearing for  the  defendants.  Two  of  the 
Jacks  and  two  Craigs  swore  that  "Black  Bill" 
was  eight  miles  away  that  fatal  night.  "Bi? 
Jep"  proved  his  whereabouts  by  a  dozen  wit- 
nesses. Other  minor  facts  were  proven,  and 
after  a  tedious  examination  of  two  days  "he 
Court  committed  all  the  defendants  to  jai), 
except  Music,  who  never  had  anj'  examina- 
tion. Music  said  that  Marshall  had  gone  to 
his  wife's  aunt  in  Missouri.  Lowe,  then  in  or- 
der to  find  out  where  his  wife's  aunt  lived 
in  Missouri,  had  his  mother-in-law  subpoena- 
ed as  a  witness  against  the  boys  before  Rey- 
nolds. State  Attorney  Hartwell  then  told 
Mrs.  Rich  that  he  believed  they  were  going 
to  impeach  her,  as  she  had  to  swear  for  the 
People,  and  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  tc 
know  where  her  people  lived,  so  as  to  be  able 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       191 

to  meet  thein.  She  said  her  sister  lived  in 
Butler  County,  Mo.,  and  was  married  to  Ben 
Lewis.  She  was  not  used  as  a  witness.  Lowe 
left  Marion  after  the  trial  and  went  to  Ma- 
kanda,  Jackson  County,  and  at  ten  o'clock  in 
the  night  started  out  to  the  Smiths,  in  this 
county,  who  were  relatives  of  the  Grains. 
He  found  where  Marshall's  folks  lived,  so 
that  he  could  shun  them  ,but  it  being  nearly 
daylight,  he  went  back  to  Makanda,  and  laid 
up  all  day.  Starting  out  again  at  night,  he 
soon  found  where  Marshall  and  his  wife 
staid  all  night  the  night  they  left  the  county. 
It  was  a  half  mile  east  of  Makanda.  Marshall 
counted  his  money  here,  and  said  he  had 
enough  to  go  to  St.  Louis,  and  then  to  his 
uncle,  Thomas  Crain,  in  Boone  County,  Ark. 
They  left  here  two  weeks  before  for  St. 
Louis,  from  where  he  went  to  Springfield, 
and  then  to  Boone  County,  Ark.,  but  returned 
to  Butler  County,  Mo.  He  left  his  wife  here 
with  Dr.  Adams,  and  started  on  foot  to  the 
Cherokee  Bend  to  pick  cotton,  and  had  got 
sixty-five  miles  when  he  was  arrested. 

From  Makanda,  Lowe  came  to  Marion, 
and  on  September  20th  left  for  Butler  Coun- 
ty, Mo.  On  arriving  there,  he  hired  A.  Thom- 
as to  go  out  to  Dr.  Adams  and  make  a  sur- 
vey. He  found  that  Marshall  had  left  on 
foot  for  the  Bend,  carrying  a  pistol,  a  budget, 


192  THE  HISTORY  OF 

and  wearing  velvet  pants.  The  County  At- 
torney wanted  Lowe  to  remain  there  until 
Marshall  returned,  saying  that  Dr.  Adams 
would  report  the  fact ;  but  Lowe  left  Thomas 
to  arrest  him  if  he  returned  ,and  took  the 
train  for  Corning,  Ark.,  thirty-three  miles. 
Here  he  hired  a  constable,  and  left  for  the 
Cherokee  Bend.  Fifteen  miles  from  here  he 
struck  Marshall's  trail.  He  had  traveled 
through  a  wild,  sunburnt,  arid  waste,  whose 
solemn  silence  is  rarely  ever  broken  by  the 
tread  of  a  white  man,  and  his  tracks  were 
plainly  to  be  seen  in  the  sand,  where  the 
thirsty  earth  gaped  under  the  merciless  sun. 
Marshall  had  given  his  name  as  "Crain," 
from  Missouri,  and  had  tried  to  hire  at  every 
place  he  came  to.  For  fifteen  miles  Lowe 
followed  his  trail.  Marshall  was  inquiring 
for  Jacksonport,  and  Lowe,  when  asked  what 
he  wanted  with  him,  would  say,  "he  stole  a 
watch  up  in  Missouri."  They  came  to  a  river, 
when  the  ferryman  told  them  that  Crain  was 
at  Mr.  Gray's,  a  half  mile  ahead.  They  rode 
on  up  to  the  house,  and  a  woman  was  stand- 
ing at  the  gate,  and  when  asked  said  Mar- 
shall was  in  the  house,  with  a  chill  on  him. 
It  was  a  double  log  house,  with  a  'bed-room 
between.  Lowe  went  in,  and  Marshall  was 
lying  fast  asleep  on  the  bed.  Lowe  gave  him 
a  shake,  and  he  awoke  very  suddenly,  rais- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       193 

ed  up  and  reached  for  his  pistol  over  his 
head.  Lowe  pushed  him  back  with  a  Der- 
ringer, and  asked  him  his  name.  He  said, 
"Marshall  Grain,"  and  asked,  "who  are  you?" 
Lowe  said,  "You  know  me."  Marsh  said, 
"Yes,  how  are  you,  Frank  Lowe?"  The  con- 
stable was  et  the  foot  of  the  bed.  Lowe  told 
him  he  had  a  warrant  for  his  arrest,  and 
asked  him  if  he  should  read  it.  Marsh  said, 
"No."  Lowe  then  tied  him,  and  took  his  pis- 
tol, and  put  him  on  horseback  behind  him- 
self. At  this  juncture  Gray  came  out  of  the 
field,  and  Lowe  apologized  for  the  liberty  he 
had  taken.    Gray  said  it  was  all  right. 

The  sun  was  half  an  hour  high,  and  it 
was  twelve  miles  to  William  Gossett's,  the 
next  house,  where  they  arrived  at  ten  o'clock. 
There  they  got  supper.  Frank  then  made  a 
bed  on  the  floor  for  Marsh,  and  hired  a 
school  teacher  for  $2.00,  to  guard  him,  and 
lay  down  himself.  He  saw  Marsh  untying 
the  rope  from  his  legs ;  he  got  it  off.  Frank 
rose  and  stopped  him.  Marsh  said  he  would 
have  jumped  through  the  window  and  been 
gone  in  fifteen  minutes.  They  started  on, 
then,  and  arrived  at  Corning  that  evening. 
Marsh  had  a  chill,  and  was  put  to  bed  in  the 
hotel.  Frank  also  had  a  chill.  Marsh  got 
something  to  eat,  and  then  Frank  called  the 
jailer,  and  asked  Marsh  if  he  would  go  with- 
-F  14 


194  THE  HISTORY  OP 

out  a  requisition ;  if  he  would  not,  he  would 
put  him  in  jail  and  get  one.  Marsh  said  he 
wanted  the  men  to  understand  that  he  was 
going  to  Illinois  of  his  own  free  will.  He 
was  then  handcuffed,  and  wanted  Frank  to 
write  to  his  wife,  who  was  ten  miles  in  the 
country,  that  he  was  under  arrest,  going  to 
Illinois,  and  that  she  must  not  try  to  come 
through  on  foot,  but  wait  until  she  got  money 
from  him.  He  said  she  would  come  through 
on  foot  if  he  did  not  tell  her.  He  said  she  was 
too  good  for  him,  and  he  cared  for  nobody 
else  on  earth.  Within  four  miles  of  Cairo, 
Frank  told  him  about  the  boys  being  in  jail. 
He  did  not  believe  it.  Frank  produced  a 
Globe-Democrat  containing  the  proceedings 
at  their  trial,  which  satisfied  him.  Frank 
said,  "Bulliner,  Baker  and  Music  have  em- 
ployed me  to  catch  you,  so  they  could  swear 
it  onto  you,  and  then  come  clear;  that  was 
the  arrangement." 

Marsh  said,  "I  don't  know  so  damned 
well ;  they  are  as  guilty  as  I  am  in  the  thing." 
They  landed  at  Cairo  Saturday,  Sept.  28th, 
at  4  o'clock  a.  m.,  and  took  a  freight  train  for 
Carbondale.  While  going  up,  Marsh  told 
Frank  the  whole  story  that  he  afterwards 
swore  to.  On  the  train  he  was  very  noisy, 
hallooing  for  Jeff  Davis,  and  talked  freely  of 
killing  men.    He  was  mad  at  everybody,  and 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       195 

wanted  to  be  unhandcuffed  to  fight  men  who 
asked  him  questions.  At  one  place,  ten  or 
twelve  men  stood  looking  at  him.  He  said, 
"If  your  eyes  were  in  dogs'  heads  there  would 
be  sheep  killed  tonight."  Well  might  he  be 
excited,  for  he  was  in  the  hands  of  a  pow- 
erful, shrewd,  ingenious  man,  who  brought 
every  cunning  contrivance,  and  subtle  influ- 
ence to  bear  on  him,  to  get  a  confession  out 
of  him.  It  was  a  wonderful  achievement, 
on  the,  part  of  Lowe,  to  get  a  full  confession 
out  of  a  great  criminal  like  Marshall  Grain 
in  so  short  a  time.  He  was  afraid  of  a  mob, 
at  Carbondale,  and  seemed  anxious  and  reck- 
less. When  the  whistle  blowed  at  Carbon- 
dale  he  was  frightened.  Frank  told  him 
that  the  good  people  and  officers  of  Carbon- 
dale  would  assist  him  against  a  mob,  and  if 
he  had  thought  of  danger  he  would  have 
telegraphed  to  Marion  for  twenty  men.  He 
wanted  to  know  if  the  people  were  very  bit- 
ter against  him.  Frank  told  him  they  would 
only  hang  him,  that  was  all.  He  said  he  did 
not  care  for  his  life. 

At  Carbondale  the  people  did  not  know 
him,  but  presently  John  Crain  came  in  and 
settled  the  matter.  Frank  took  him  out  to  the 
old  house  where  he  had  concealed  his  gun 
the  night  he  killed  Sisney,  to  get  some  pow- 
der and  shot  which  he  said  Allen  Baker  had 


196  THE  HISTORY  OF 

put  there  for  him  to  kill  Sisney  with.  They 
found  the  powder.  Frank  left  him  at  Car- 
bondale,  where  he  received  medical  attention 
until  Monday,  when  he  was  taken  to  the  Mur- 
physboro  jail. 

On  the  17th  day  of  September,  Sheriff 
Norris  wrote  the  Governor  for  arms  and  am- 
munition for  a  company  of  militia.  On  the 
19th,  the  Governor  promptly  responded  that 
he  had  sent  100  rifles  by  express.  The  sher- 
iff also  sent  the  names  of  Z.  Hudgens  for  Cap- 
tain, W.  J.  Pully  first,  and  Wm.  Hendrickson, 
for  second  Lieutenants,  but  these  men  were 
not  commissioned.  The  guns  arrived  Satur- 
day, the  21st,  and  an  effort  was  made  to  raise 
a  company  of  mihtia  by  the  Sheriff  which 
ended  in  a  "big  laugh."  But  on  the  15th  pre- 
vious, W.  N.  Mitchell  and  J.  W.  Landrum  re- 
turned from  Springfield  with  power  to  raise 
two  companies,  which  they  did;  one  at  Ma- 
rion and  one  at  Carterville.  The  company 
at  Marion  was  raised  on  the  25th,  and  the 
guns  opened.  J.  V.  Grider  was  elected  Cap- 
tain, Wm.  Hendrickson  first  and  W.  J.  Pul- 
ley second  Lieutenants.  There  was  some  op- 
position to  the  militia,  but  these  officers 
were  responsible,  brave,  cautious  men,  and 
did  nothing  to  irritate  the  public,  and  went 
quietly  along,  doing  their  whole  duty.  The 
Carterville  company  elected  Landrum  Cap- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.     197 

tain,  Wm.  Dowell  first,  and  Wilshire  Bandy 
second  Lieutenants.  A  kind  of  local  pride 
seized  the  surrounding  counties  at  this  time, 
and  they  were  continually  holding  up  the  mis- 
fortunes of  each  other,  and  justifying  them- 
selves. 

John  Bulliner  and  Allen  Baker  were  in- 
dicted at  the  October  term  of  the  Jackson 
Circuit  Court  and  went  to  trial  at  the  same 
term,  defended  by  F.  E.  Albright,  of  Mur- 
physboro.  Marshall  Crain,  who  was  taken 
from  his  cell  one  night,  made  a  desperate  ef- 
fort to  escape  by  running  from  his  guard 
and  falling  on  the  ground,  but  was  recaptur- 
ed. He  had  been  before  the  grand  jury  and 
swore  against  Bulliner  and  Baker,  but  now 
formed  the  design  of  going  back  on  what 
he  had  stated  there,  and  clearing  the  boys; 
and  wrote  the  following  letter  to  them  in 
jail,  which  he  was  probably  persuaded  to 
write : 

"Allen,  I  want  you  and  John  to  post-man 
Jack,  Sam,  Yaller  and  Thedford,  Johnny  Rich 
Jeff,  Yaller  Bill,  Wesley  and  Sarah  Rich 
that  they  were  to  have  a  surprise  party  at 
Sarah  Rich's,  and  I  came  in  eight  or  nine 
o'clock,  on  the  night  George  Sisney  was  shot 
and  that  I  was  barefooted.  I  know  I  sent  my 
boots  and  coat  by  Sam  Music,  but  that  won't 
convict  me.    Now,  boys,  do  all  you  can    for 


198  THE  HISTORY  OP 

me  and  I  will  do  all  in  my  power  for  you. 
Employ  the  same  lawyer  for  me  that  you 
and  Allen  have  got.  All  is  right;  if  I  hang, 
I  fear  I  will  hang.  John  lecture  for  me  in 
this  case  and  clear  me.  When  Spence  was 
killed  I  was  at  Cal  Craig's.  Prove  this  by 
him  and  other  witnesses,  tell  to  them  that 
I  was  there  about  half  after  nine  o'clock,  en 
the  night  Sisney  was  killed.  Allen,  you  and 
John  and  all  the  boys  will  come  clear.  I  shall 
swear  that  I  was  forced  to  swear  what  I  did ; 
if  I  hang  it's  all  right.  I  shall  swear  that 
Sam  Music  told  me  that  he  killed  Mr. 
Spence,  and  he  told  me  that  he  was  going  to 
put  ammunition  in  that  house,  so  when  he 
turned  State's  evidence  he  could  make  some 
proof.  He  told  me  this.  Can  you  and  John 
state  too  that  he  told  you  that  he  put  it  there 
when  he  was  hauling  for  Landrum.  If  you 
and  John  come  clear,  go  and  post  Mrs.  Rich 
and  Johnny,  and  Wesley  and  Anderson  Thed- 
ford;  tell  Ant.  Thedford  to  swear  he  seen 
me  close  to  his  daddy's,  at  about  nine  o'clock 
as  he  came  from  his  daddy's. 
He  said  he  would  swear  any- 
thing for  me.  Post  James  Craig 
and  prove  by  these,  and  tell  mother  not  to  go 
back  on  me,  and  clear  me;  they  can  do  it. 
Have  they  swore  against  me?  Tell  Jim 
Craig  I  want  to  prove  I  was  at  his  house  by 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       199 

him  and  another  witness  when  Spence  was 
killed.  Give  information  how  I  will  move 
my  trial  to  Marion." 

This  letter  was  to  be  destroyed  by  the 
boys;  but  when  Marsh  went  on  the  standi 
and  denied  as  he  was  to,  any  knowledge  of 
the  killing  of  Sisney,  Albright  produced  this 
letter,  and  asked  him  if  he  wrote  it.  Marsh 
saw  the  point  to  this,  that  he  was  to  be  made 
the  guilty  party,  and  he  turned  like  a  furious 
lion  and  swore  them  both  to  prison.  Music 
also  swore  the  facts  heretofore  detailed. 
The  case  closed  on  the  12th  of  October,  after 
lasting  a  week.  On  the  next  day  the  jury 
brought  in  a  verdict  of  guilty,  with  the  pen- 
alty of  twenty-five  years  in  the  State  prison. 
The  case  was  prosecuted  by  State's  Attorn- 
ey Pugh,  and  Duff  and  Allen,  the  latter  of 
whom  made  the  finest  law  speech  probably 
ever  made  in  the  West.  The  prisoners  were 
jovial  and  noisy  until  the  verdict  came  in, 
when  a  sad,  heavy,  forlorn  expression  settled 
on  the  brow  of  Bulliner,  never  to  be  removed. 
Baker  was  evidently  at  his  father's  house,  in 
Carbondale  the  night  that  Sisney  was  killed. 
He  lived  about  two  miles  east  of  there,  and 
went  home  about  ten  o'clock  that  night,  and 
when  arrested  told  Mrs.  Hill,  with  whom  he 
and  his  wife  boarded,  that  his  life  depended 
on  what  she  swore,  and  suggested  that  he 


200  THE  HISTORY  OP 

came  home  about  nine  o'clock,  but  did  not 
ask  her  to  swear  falsely.  She  swore  to  this 
conversation,  and  it  ruined  him.  The  powder 
and  shot  which  they  proved  he  bought,  was 
probably  left  at  Purdy's  mill.  He  had  had  a 
difficulty  with  Purdy  a  while  before.  $200 
worth  of  belts  were  cut  to  pieces,  and  some 
powder,  shot  and  caps  found  lying  there. 

Baker  is  about  thirty-three  years  old, 
fair  complexion,  long  black  hair,  thin  build, 
and  has  a  desperate-looking  gray  eye ;  raised 
in  this  county.  He  was  considered  a  wild 
reckless,  uncertain  fellow.  He  once  killed  a 
man  near  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas,  while  a  sol- 
dier, and  was  sentenced  to  six  months'  im- 
prisonment in  the  military  prison.  He  had 
been  married  for  some  months.  Marshall 
Grain  once  said  to  me,  "Milo,  I  have  got  re- 
ligion as  to  all  my  sins  but  one,  and  I  want 
to  ask  you  about  that."  "What  is  it?"  I 
asked.  He  answered,  "You  know  I  swore  a 
lie  against  Allen  Baker ;  it  was  me  that  killed 
Sisney,  and  I  swore  that  it  was  him."  I 
asked  him  why  he  did  it.  He  said,  "To  save 
my  own  neck."  I  told  him  that  I  was  no 
preacher,  but  if  he  acted  in  good  faith  to  save 
his  own  neck,  it  was  no  sin,  but  I  thought 
self-defense ;  that  a  man  had  a  right  to  exert 
all  the  powers  which  God  had  given  him,  to 
save  his  neck,  either  to  swear  a  lie  or  to  take 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       201 

life.  He  said  that  was  looking  at  it  in  a  new 
light.  I  said,  "Then,  Marsh  Baker  is  not 
guilty?"  He  replied,  "Well— yes— God  d— 
him;  he  got  nothing  'but  justice.  He  was  al- 
ways agreeing,  promising  and  contracting, 
but  I  never  could  get  him  on  the  grounds." 

It  was  a  heart-rending  scene  to  see  John 
Bulliner  parting  from  his  aged  mother.  He 
went  to  the  penitentiary  and  she  returned 
home,  to  live  through  dark  days  and  nights, 
with  the  clumsy  and  crude  condolence  this 
world  gives,  and  now  lives  in  a  little  cottage, 
a  half-mile  north  of  the  Bulliner  homestead. 
Her  life  speaks,  and  her  children  read  in  it, 
"No  ray  of  light  for  the  future."  Hence- 
forth she  can  say,  "I'll  bear  affliction  till  it 
do  cry  out  itself  enough,  enough,  and  die. 
The  scene  of  beauty  and  delight  is  changed. 
No  roses  bloom  upon  her  faded  cheeks.  No 
laughing  graces,  wanton  in  her  eyes ;  but 
grief,  lean-looking,  sallow  care  and  pining 
discontent ;  a  rueful  train  dwells  on  her  brow, 
all  forlorn." 

At  the  October  session  of  the  Williamson 
Circuit  Court,  Music,  "Big  Jep,"  "Black 
Bill,"  "Yaller  Bill,"  and  Marshall,  were 
all  indicted  for  the  murder  of  Spence.  Mu- 
sic's case  was  continued;  Noah  W.  Crain 
alias  "Yaller  Bill,"  was  admitted  to  bail  on 
motion;  William  J.  Crain  alias  "Big  Jep," 


202  THE  HISTORY  OP 

and  William  J.  Grain  alias  "Black  Bill" 
prayed  for  a  change  of  venue,  and  their  case 
was  sent  to  Alexander  Co.  The  indictment 
against  ''Yaller  Bill"  was  nolled  at  the  April 
term,  1876.  On  Tuesday,  October  19,  1875, 
Marshall  T.  Grain  was  arraigned  and  plead 
not  guilty.  He  had  no  attorney,  and  the 
Gourt  appointed  W.  W.  Glemens,  who  filed 
an  affidavit  for  a  continuance,  which  the 
Judge  said  was  not  sufficient.  On  Wednes- 
day, October  20th,  the  defendant  again  re- 
newed his  motion  for  a  continuance.  The 
Judge  said  he  could  not  entertain  two  mo- 
tions for  a  continuance,  but  that  every  wit- 
ness mentioned  in  the  affidavit,  should  be 
here  tomorrow.  The  defendant  then  in  per- 
son withdrew  his  plea  of  not  guilty,  and  en- 
tered one  of  guilty  to  the  crime  of  murder, 
as  charged.  To  this  the  State's  Attorney  ob- 
jected, saying  that  he  could  not  withdraw 
his  plea  of  not  guilty.  The  defendant  insist- 
ed by  himself  and  counsel  that  he  had  a  right 
to  plead  guilty,  and  throw  himself  upon  the 
mercy  of  the  Gourt.  The  Gourt  then  fully 
explained  to  the  defendant  all  his  rights,  and 
the  consequence  of  entering  a  plea  of  guilty ; 
when  the  defendant  again,  after  a  full  know- 
ledge of  all  his  rights,  entered  a  plea  of  guil- 
ty. The  Gourt  then  again  had  the  indictment 
again  read  to  the  defendant,  and  then  again 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      203 

ask  him  if  he  was  guilty  or  not,  and  the  de- 
fendant again  pleaded  guilty  to  murder.  The 
Court  then  ordered  a  jury  called,  when  Grain 
said  he  did  not  want  a  jury,  that  he  threw 
himself  on  the  mercy  of  the  Court.  Then 
Judge  Crawford  ordered  the  plea  of  guilty 
to  be  entered,  and  the  case  continued  until 
Thursday.  On  that  day  witnesses  were  call- 
ed and  examined  and  from  the  evidence  it 
appeared  beyx)nd  all  doubt  that  Marshall 
Crain  was  guilty  of  murder. 

During  the  examination  of  witnesses  the 
court  room  became  crowded  with  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  Marshall's  wife  came  in  and  took 
a  seat  by  him.  She  is  a  small,  sallow,  serene, 
calm-looking  woman,  with  a  half-closed,  glas- 
sy, soulless  eye.  She  seemed  perfectly  in- 
different to  the  battery  of  eyes  upon  her. 
At  the  close  of  the  evidence,  Marshall,  who 
had  set  like  a  statue,  only  occasionally  laugh- 
ing, seemed  nervous  and  exicted.  After  a 
few  minutes  of  awful  suspense.  Judge  M.  C. 
Crawford  said : 

"It  is  not  often  that  we  are  called  to  de- 
.  cide  a  question  of  so  great  importance  as  this. 
Marshall  Crain  has  been  indicted,  arraigned 
and  now  acknowledges  himself  guilty  of  the 
highest  crime  known  to  the  law."  Here  he 
rehearsed  the  manner  of  his  pleading  guilty, 
and  said,  "it  is  natural  for  all  men  to  avoid 


204  THE  HISTORY  OP 

serious  responsibility,  and  I  would  much 
rather  his  case  had  been  tried  by  a  jury;  but 
the  defendant  persisted  in  his  plea  of  guilty, 
and  threw  himself  on  the  mercy  of  the  Court ; 
and  that  I  might  act  advisedly,  I  had  the  wit- 
nesses summoned  and  brought  to  court  to  see 
if  the  plea  was  really  true,  as  pleaded  in  his 
case ;  and  it  clearly  appears,  not  only  by  the 
plea,  but  by  the  mouths  of  witnesses,  that  the 
defendant  is  guilty  of  murder.  A  murder 
that  seldom  occurs  in  any  country,  and 
among  any  people,  a  murder  without  passion. 
Out  in  the  still  woods,  God's  first  temple, 
they  coolly  and  deliberately  planned  to  take 
the  life  of  their  fellow-man."  Here  the  judge 
and  the  whole  audience  were  bathed  in  tears. 
He  then  went  over  the  circumstances  of  th& 
kiUing  in  a  feeling  and  touching  manner,  and 
continued,  "The  Legislature,  in  making  the 
death  penalty,  clearly  contemplated  that 
there  would  cases  arise  which  would  deserve 
this  penalty."  Again  he  rehearsed  the  facts 
to  see  if  they  met  the  requirements  of  the 
highest  penalty.  "By  the  law  we  stand  or 
fall.  No  other  crime  equals  this  in  coolness, 
and  by  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  this  man 
has  forfeited  his  life  to  the  people  of  the 
state.  The  responsibility  is  a  great  one.  I 
hope  to  God  that  never  again  will  a  court  in 
a  civilized  country  have  this  duty  to  do.  Here 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       205 

Judge  Crawford  'burst  out  in  a  flood  of  tears, 
and  after  a  short  pause,  dashed  the  tears 
from  his  eyes,  his  face  lighted  up  with  an  un- 
earthly radiance,  he  said,  "The  people  and  my 
position  make  it  my  duty  to  administer  the 
law  and  promise  its  judgment,  and  before 
my  God  and  my  fellow-man,  I  must  do  my 
duty.  What  have  you  to  say,  Marshall  Grain, 
wny  sentence  of  death  shall  not  be  pronounc- 
ed against  you?" 

Marshall,  with  a  chilled  and  torpid  color, 
a  cold  moisture  gleaming  on  his  forehead,  a 
severe  and  majestic  expression  in  his  eye, 
notably  intensified  by  the  strong  language  of 
Judge  Grawford,  rose,  and  in  a  clear  voice 
said,  "I  have  had  no  time  to  prepare  for 
trial.  I  have  been  forced  into  trial.  I  have 
been  indicted  and  tried  (Two-and-a-half 
days)  without  time  to  consult  a  lawyer.  I 
was  dragged  into  this  work  by  other  parties.  I 
had  a  higher  power  and  influence  over  me.  I 
could  not  resist.  I  don't  think  I  have  done 
enough  to  be  hung  for.  Spence  was  harbor- 
ing parties  that  were  trying  to  kill  me.  I 
don't  think  I  deserve  hanging.  I  was  influ- 
enced by  John  Bulliner,  a  man  of  good  mind 
and  education,  and  I  am  not  a  man  of  good 
mind,  and  no  education." 

Grawford  said ;  "I  am  now  about  to  pro- 
nounce against  you  the  highest  penalty  of  the 


206  THE  HISTORY  OP 

law,  and  in  all  probability  the  sentence  will 
be  executed,  and  you  will  have  to  appear  be- 
fore a  bar  transcendently  greater  than  this. 
There  remains  but  few  powers  that  can  give 
you  relief.  The  Chief  Executive  may  inter- 
fere and  commute  your  sentence  or  pardon 
you,  and  the  Supreme  Court  may  reverse 
your  judgment;  but  it  is  my  duty  to  tell  you 
that  neither  of  these  will  likely  be  done. 
Therefore,  I  warn  you  to  make  your  peace 
with  God."  Here  he  spoke  of  the  consolation 
of  the  Christian  Religion,  and  said:  "I  will 
call  upon  you,  Marshall  Crain,  as  a  living 
witness,  that  I  have  warned  you  to  prepare 
to  meet  your  God,"  and  continued:  "The 
sentence  of  the  Court  is  that  the  defendant 
be  hanged  by  the  neck  until  he  Is  dead,  with- 
in the  walls  of  the  prison  in  the  town  of  Ma- 
rion, County  of  Williamson  and  State  of  Illi- 
nois, on  the  21sc  day  of  January,  A.  D.  1876, 
between  the  hours  of  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing and  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
same  day.  May  God  have  mercy  upon  you.'* 
As  Crain  was  taken  to  the  jail  he  boasted 
to  the  guard  that  he  would  never  shed  a  tear. 
The  next  day,  he  asked  permission  to  come 
before  judge  Crawford  and  tell  all  he  knew 
about  the  bloody  Vendetta.  But  he  was  sent 
to  the  grand  jury  and  confessed  the  facts  de- 
tailed by  Music,  as  to  himself ;  but  was  taken 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      207 

from  there,  screaming  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
and  his  atoning  lamentations  were  heard 
around  the  jail  for  several  days.  The  same 
day  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Crawford,  telling 
him  he  had  done  his  duty,  ana  he  hoped  he 
would  continue  to  do  it,  and  that  the  people 
would  forgive  him  for  his  crimes,  and  that 
the  county  might  be  restored  to  its  original 
peace  and  prosperity. 

After  the  same  term  of  Court,  Calvin 
Craig,  Robert  Craig,  Monroe  Jack  and  John 
Jack  was  indicted  for  perjury  for  swearing 
the  alibi  for  "Black  Bill,"  before  Reynolds, 
J.  P. 

After  the  sentence  of  Crain,  a  guard  of 
ten  men  were  detailed  from  the  militia  to 
guard  the  jail  by  night  and  two  by  day.  This 
guard  did  its  duty  faithfully  until  after  the 
execution.  Nightly  attacks  were  expected 
from  the  "Ku-klux,"  which  were  supposed  to 
exist  in  the  county.  The  guards  were  often 
summoned  to  fall  into  line  at  some  apparent 
alarm. 

Noah  E.  Norris,  the  Sheriff,  is  about 
thirty-five  years  old,  a  quiet,  honest  man, 
and  a  cousin  to  the  Crains,  and  on  this  ac- 
count there  was  considerable  feeling  against 
him.  He  was  often  threatened,  and  violent 
outbreaks  of  passion  were  sometimes  ex- 
pected, and  it  was  talked  "that  some  man  had 


208  THE  HISTORY  OP 

to  hang  on  the  21st."  But  it  is  true  that  he 
performed  his  duty,  and  that  under  the  most 
trying  circumstances  and  greatest  disadvan- 
tages that  ever  a  Sheriff  did.  When  the  feel- 
ing against  him  was  at  its  ebb,  he  removed 
Charles  Robinson,  the  jailer,  a  man  that  the 
people  had  confidence  in,  and  put  in  David 
Coke,  a  comparative  stranger.  But  it  so 
happened  that  Coke  was  a  man  from  the 
ground  up,  and  made  one  of  the  best  and  most 
reliable  jailers  in  the  state. 

On  the  27th  day  of  October,  George  W. 
Sisney,  Jr.,  came  to  the  cell,  and  Marshall 
said,  "Wash,  I  am  ruined,  I  murdered  your 
father,  and  ask  you  to  forgive  me,"  and  fell 
weaping  on  his  knees.  Wash  said:  "You 
murdered  him  without  cause,  and  I  will  never 
forgive  you,"  and  walked  away  with  the  ex- 
citement of  gratified  vanity  lighting  with 
radiance  on  the  vestal  roses  of  his  cheeks. 
Some  said  that  Wash  ought  to  have  forgiven 
him,  "that  forgiveness  is  the  odor  that  flow- 
ers breathe  when  trampled  upon."  Others 
said  he  did  right. 

Marshall  spent  his  time  reading  the  Bible 
until,  by  the  21st  of  November,  he  was  ready 
for  baptism,  according  to  the  rites  of  the 
Christian  Church.  He  was  dressed  in  a  long, 
white  robe,  and  taken  out  under  a  heavy 
guard,  to  the  mill-pond  of  Mann  &  Edwards, 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  209 
and  after  a  sermon  by  W.  H.  Boles,  was  pap- 
tised  into  the  church. 

November  27th,  another  militia  company- 
was  organized  in  the  east  end  of  the  county, 
with  J.  T,  Cunningham  as  Captain,  and 
George  Burnett,  first  and  John  Davis  second 
Lieutenants. 

December  21st,  when  the  night  guards 
went  on  duty  they  went  into  Marshall's  cell, 
where  "Black  Bill"  and  "Big  Jep"  also 
stayed,  and  Marsh  was  gone.  The  jail  was 
instantly  surrounded  by  the  guards,  who 
cocked  their  guns  to  shoot  him  off  the  roof. 
The  Captain  again  went  into  the  cell,  and 
found  that  a  hole  had  been  sawed  and  burnt 
through  the  ceiling.  A  boy  was  sent  up  in 
the  garret  but  could  not  find  Marshall.  The 
Captain  then  found  him  rolled  up  in  a  mat- 
tress, in  the  cell,  having  come  down  from  the 
garret,  when  the  alarm  was  given.  He  had 
commenced  sawing  the  shingles  out  of  the 
roof,  and  had  his  blankets  torn  up  for  a  rope 
to  let  him  down.  How  the  saw  got  into  the 
cell  is  not  known.  The  other  boys  said  they 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  attempted  escape ; 
that  they  "aimed  to  saw  out  with  the  stat- 
ute." After  this  Marshall  was  chained  down, 
as  he  said,  "for  the  slaughter." 

On  the  25th  of  December,  James  H.  Dun- 
can, assisted  by  W.  M.  Davis  and  J.  V.  Gri- 
-F  IS 


210  THE  HISTORY  OP 

der,  the  plans  having  been  previously  arrang- 
ed by  Duncan — ran  in  on  James  Norris  at 
Mr.  Poteete's,  at  a  ball,  five  miles  southeast 
of  Marion.  This  man  is  the  most  notorious 
and  dreaded  of  all  the  assassins.  Sisney 
tried  for  a  year  to  have  him  arrested.  He 
was  brought  to  Marion  and  put  in  the  same 
cell  with  Marshall. 

"Big  Jep"  and  "Black  Bill"  remained  in 
jail  until  the  31st  day  of  December,  when 
they  were  taken  to  Cairo  for  trial.  The  case 
was  called  January  28th,  and  lasted  until  the 
8th  day  of  February.  In  addition  to  the 
facts  detailed  heretofore  of  the  killing,  two 
witnesses  swore  to  seeing  "Black  Bill"  going 
up  to  Crainville  that  fatal  evening,  another 
that  he  was  at  home  in  bed  next  morning, 
facts  inconsistent  with  the  alibi.  Threats 
were  sworn  to  by  Narcissa  Waggoner  on 
"Big  Jep"  of  a  bad  character.  Music  was 
corroborated  by  many  other  circumstances, 
such  as  the  bringing  in  of  the  weed  broken 
at  the  back  of  Mrs.  Hampton's  field.  Sev- 
eral other  witnesses  swore  to  the  alibi  of  both 
boys.  A  great  many  swore  they  would  not 
believe  Music  on  his  oath,  and  they  proved 
good  characters.  In  all,  there  were  about 
one  hundred  witnesses.  Clemens,  Calvert 
and  Linegar  appeared  for  defendants,  Allen 
and  Duff  for  the  People.    The  jury  found  a 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       211 

verdict  of  guilty,  and  ten  of  them  being  for 
hanging  and  two  for  acquitting,  they  com- 
promised on  a  term  of  twenty  years.  When 
the  verdict  was  read,  "Big  Jep"  cried;  but 
"Black  Bill"  remained  unmoved. 

On  the  18th  of  February,  a  motion  for  a 
new  trial  was  overruled,  and  the  prisoners 
were  taken  to  Joliet. 

"Black  Bill"  stands  six  feet  three  inches 
in  height,  drak  sk'in,  sharp  features,  gray 
eyes,  black  hair  and  mustache,  and  very  neat 
in  his  dress,  about  thirty  years  old,  and  un- 
married. "Big  Jep"  this  thirty-five  years  old, 
stands  six  feet  one  inch  in  height,  a  full, 
round  face,  large  head,  light  blue  eyes,  brown 
hair,  fair  complexion,  and,  like  Bill,  dresses 
neat. 

Music  said  of  "Big  Jep:"  "He  did  all  the 
planning,  but  he  is  a  coward,  and  whenever 
anything  was  to  happen  he  would  skulk  to 
some  relative,  and  lay  concealed  like  a  cut- 
throat until  the  crime  was  over,  and  then, 
like  a  bird  of  ill-omen,  his  death-screech  was 
again  heard." 

Narcissa  Waggoner,  who  swore  against 
"Big  Jep,"  (she  having  boarded  him  and 
Spence  at  the  same  time  they  had  their  dif- 
ficulity)  is  a  daughter  of  George  Duncan,  a 
good  citizen  of  this  county,  and  wife  of  Car- 
roll Waggoner.    She  is  about  thirty  years  of 


212  THE  HISTORY  OP 

age,  and  is  a  woman  of  strong  intellect.  Her 
testimony  was  clear,  consistent  and  conclus- 
ive. Before  the  trial  at  Cairo  it  was  whis- 
pered around  that  her  character  for  truth 
would  be  assailed.  But  persecuted,  wounded, 
bleeding,  hunted-down  Williamson  county 
rose  like  a  furious  lion  at  the  mention  of  this, 
and  insinuated  that  it  would  be  considered  an 
assault  on  honor,  an  attempt  at  justice;  and 
the  noise  silenced.  She  is  the  lady  who  un- 
locked the  archives  of  secrecy  and  let  the 
light  shine  in.  For  a  time  she  kept  the  signet 
sealed  in  her  own  heart,  but  her  spirit  chafed 
and  her  divina  form  wasted  beneath  the  load. 
It  came  to  her  in  her  dreams  that  she  ought 
to  tell  it.  Honor  was  beating  at  her  bosom. 
The  lives  of  future  victims  were  pleading 
with  her.  The  wild  winds  wafted  begging 
from  suffering  women  to  her.  All  social  life 
demanded  it.  The  moral  sense  of  the  civilized 
world  called  on  her  to  tell.  Our  lands  had 
depreciated  three  millions  of  dollars,  and  the 
people  were  hopeless ;  but  she  put  her  finger 
on  the  guilty  party,  and  the  fountains  of 
blood  dried  up;  and  the  breast  of  every  law- 
loving  citizen  swelled  with  joy  and  pride  at 
the  action  of  this  heroic  lady.  Humanity 
will  not  forget  the  generous  woman  who, 
though  living  among  the  criminals,  dared  to 
take  the  proud  rank  of  dignified  resistance 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       213 

to  subordination,  and  spend  the  unbrought 
grace  of  her  hfe  saving  her  country,  where 
man  had  failed.  She  Hves  in  this  emancipat- 
ed, disenthralled  county  today,  an  illustra- 
tion of  her  exalted  womanhood,  with  the 
gratitude  of  her  county. 

On  the  12th  of  January,  1876,  Marshall 
constructed  him  a  gun  out  of  an  old  tin  can, 
by  rolling  the  tin  around  a  stick  and  wrap- 
ping it  with  wire.  He  then  took  a  large  car- 
tridge which  Norris  had,  and  when  he  was 
turned  loose  to  exercise,  went  to  the  provis- 
io^i  door  and  called  Music,  and  told  him  he 
wanted  him  to  look  at  that,  as  he  wanted  to 
show  him  a  sign.  He  then  put  the  gun  in 
the  door  and  struck  the  cartridge  three  times 
with  a  poker,  but  it  did  not  fire.  One  of 
the  guards  told  Sam  he  was  going  to  shoot 
him,  and  Sam  got  away.  Marshall  said  he 
did  not  expect  to  shoot  Sam,  but  to  shoot 
above  his  head  and  make  him  break  his  neck 
jerking  back.  On  the  14th,  when  he  lost  all 
hopes  of  kilHng  Music,  he  threw  his  gun  out 
of  the  window.  On  the  15th,  the  following 
conversation  took  place  between  him  and 
Robert  Wallace,  day  guard.  Marshall,  look- 
ing out  into  the  hall,  asked : 

"Is  that  the  place?" 

W.— "Yes." 

"Where  shall  I  stand  ?"  said  Marsh. 


214  THE  HISTORY  OP 

W.— "On  a  trap  door." 

M. — "I  thought  I  would  stand  above  it; 
will  I  fall  through  to  the  floor?" 

W. — "You  will  drop  four  feet." 

M. — "I  want  to  drop  six." 

W. — "That  would  jerk  your  head  off." 

M. — "How  will  the  gallows  be  fixed; 
will  the  post  come  up  from  below  ?" 

W. — "No;  it  will  be  a  frame  fixed  on  the 
floor  above." 

M. — "Do  you  think  God  will  pardon  a 
man  calling  on  him  in  the  last  moments?" 

W.— "I  can  not  tell." 

M. — "I  heard  Sisney  say  when  I  shot  him, 
*0h,  Lord,  have  mercy  on  me.*  The  Bible 
says,  'He  that  calleth  upon  the  Lord,  he  will 
pardon.'    Do  you  think  Sisney  is  in  Heaven  ?" 

W.— "I  hope  so." 

M. — "So  do  I,  and  I  wish  he  was." 

Up  to  thfs  time  he  had  been  jovial  and 
funny,  but  now  he  said  he  had  troubled  the 
guards  enough;  he  had  something  else  to 
think  about ;  that  he  would  do  no  more  to  get 
out,  and  he  hoped  none  of  them  thought  hard 
of  him. 

On  the  25th  day  of  October  he  wrote  to 
his  cousin,  Jesse  Ragsdale,  of  Missouri,  giv- 
ing an  account  of  his  melancholy  condition, 
and  on  the  16th  he  tried  writing  again.  He 
wrote  a  letter  to  an  abandoned  woman  in  the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       215 

south  cell  of  the  jail,  advising  her  to  live  a 
life  of  virtue.  This  was  a  sensible  letter. 
He  was  now  daily  attended  by  ministers  and 
religious  people,  and  by  his  faithful  wife.  On 
the  18th  and  19th,  the  gallows  was  erected  by 
Samuel  S.  Ireland,  by  cutting  a  hole  in  the 
upper  floor,  three  feet  ten  inches  square,  in 
which  he  made  a  trap  door,  and  erected  two 
posts  with  a  cross  beam,  six  and  a  halt  feet 
from  the  trap  door.  On  the  morning  of  the 
19th,  Marshall  awoke  and  screamed  out,  "Oh, 
Lord,  let  me  die  easy !"  and  then  prayed  for 
a  while  audibly.  On  the  morning  of  the  21st, 
he  yearned  to  pour  the  balm  or  forgiveness 
into  the  goaded  bosom  of  Music.  The  strife 
was  over,  and  the  battle  lost,  and  the  scars 
of  a  wounded  spirit  were  imprinted  on  his 
facg,  as  the  lightning  leaves  its  scathings, 
and  the  storms  of  passion  leave  their  deep 
and  blasted  traces  on  the  soul.  He  asked  for 
Sam  to  be  brought  into  his  cell;  but  Sam 
would  not  go.  Marsh  told  them  to  get  me, 
that  I  could  bring  him  in.  Sam 
said  if  I  advised  him  he  would  go 
in.  I  did  not  ,  'but  offered  him 
protection,  he  did  not  go.  Marsh  said,  "Tell 
Sam  to  forgive  me."  I  did  so,  but  Sam 
would  not,  saying  that  Marsh  had  told  things 
on  him  that  were  not  true.  Marsh  said  that 
was  so,  and  now  to  ask  him  again.    I  did  so, 


216  THE  HISTORY  OF 

and  Sam  forgave  him  for  all  wrongs.  It 
was  a  sad  scene — two  desperate  men  tamed 
to  child-like  softness,  and  weeping  bitterly. 
They  then  went  over  their  troubles  together, 
and  I  carried  the  words  from  one  cell  to  the 
other.  Soon  after.  Marsh's  wife  entered  his 
cell,  and  he  took  her  on  his  knees  and  embrac- 
ed her.  It  was  a  scene  which  should  be 
sacred  from  all  intrusion.  Even  the  eye  of 
friendship  should  not  invade  its  hallowed 
bounds.  Her  eyes  glittered  with  a  metallic 
gleam,  and  the  soft  curl  of  her  lips  was  lost 
in  a  quiver  of  dispair.  Her's  was  a  deadly 
pallor.  It  was  the  incandescence,  and  not  the 
flame  of  passion,  that  was  burning  in  her  in- 
most being.  She  would  burst  out  into 
shrieks  of  great  anguish,  and  then  subside 
into  sobs.  She  dreaded  the  heaving  ol  her 
own  bosom — dreaded  the  future  and  the 
world.  If  she  could  have  died  she  would 
have  been  happy  and  holy  in  the  hope  of  mer- 
cy. To  be  torn  from  a  love  made  holier  by 
past  sorrows,  was  an  insult  to  the  attribute 
of  Heaven.  Marsh  was  in  his  sock  feet,  with 
a  pair  of  jeans  pants  on,  and  a  ragged  jeans 
coat.  He  looked  care-worn,  and  shed  a  few 
tears.  Twenty-seven  years  old,  spare-made, 
weight  120  pounds,  light  hair,  fair  skin,  light- 
gray  eyes,  with  a  bashful  expression.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Rhoda  Rich,  March  4th, 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       217 

1874.  In  speaking  of  the  murder  of  James 
Henderson,  Marshall  said  that  John  Bulliner 
gave  Jonas  G.  Ellett  and  Mart.  Dyal  $300 
to  do  it. 

By  ten  o'clock  an  anxious  and  expectant 
crowd  was  swaying  to  and  fro  in  front  of 
the  jail.  He  bade  farewell  to  his  friends,  and 
told  them  to  bury  him  in  the  Hampton  Ceme- 
tery. At  eleven  o'clock  the  militia  formed 
on  the  square,  and  marched  to  the  jail  and 
surrounded  it.  At  least  3,000  people  were 
present.  The  jail  is  situated  a  little  south- 
east of  the  Square,  and  is  a  brick  building, 
two  stories  high,  with  the  cells  up  stairs- 
At  twelve  o'clock  he  was  dressed  in  a  white 
suit,  with  his  robe  over  it.  At  twelve  o'clock 
and  ten  minute  he  took  his  leave  of  his  wife. 
At  twelve  o'clock  and  twenty  minutes,  with 
a  firm  step,  he  walked  out  of  the  cell  and 
stood  before  a  window  on  the  east  side,  and 
in  a  strong  voice  said :  "Gentleman,  1  must 
make  a  statement  in  regard  to  this  matter. 
I  feel  it  my  duty  to  God  and  man  to  make 
it.  I  am  guilty  of  killing  the  two  men.  My 
punishment  is  just.  I  hope  all  of  you  will 
forgive  me.  I  pray  God  will  judge  and  pros- 
per this  country.  Good-bye  to  all."  He  then 
read  a  poem  of  twenty-four  verses,  which  he 
composed  for  the  occasion.  Then,  with  a 
firm,  steady  step,  he  walked  on  to  the  trap- 


218  THE  HISTORY  OP 

door.  At  12 :34  Sanford  W.  Gee  read  a  few 
passages  of  Scripture  from  John,  and  then 
sung,  "There  is  a  fountain  filled  with  blood," 
Grain  and  all  the  rest  joining  in  the  singing, 
and  then  Gee  prayed.  Grain  getting  on  his 
knees.  The  jury  was  then  called  and  ans- 
wered. About  thirty  persons  were  in  the 
hall.  At  12:46  his  legs  and  arms  were 
bound;  at  12:52  the  white  cap  was  put  on 
his  head,  and  John  B.  Edrington,  Deputy 
Sheriff,  who  told  him  that  he  had  a  death 
warrant,  saying,  at  this  hour  and  at  this 
place  he  was  ordered  to  hang  him.  At  12 :54 
the  rope  was  put  on  his  neck,  and  the  front 
part  of  the  cap  pulled  down  by  J.  L.  Kelly. 
When  he  was  asked  if  he  had  anything  to 
say,  said,  "I  am  the  murderer  of  William 
Spence  and  George  Sisney ;  that  is  all  I  have 
to  say."  He  was  asked  if  he  was  ready  to  re- 
ceive the  execution,  and  said,  "I  am."  He 
was  then  told  that  he  had  four  minutes  to  live 
and  said,  "That  was  all."  At  12:56  the  Depu- 
ty said,  "Time  up,"  and  Brice  Holland  sev- 
ered the  rope  which  held  the  trap-door,  and 
Marshall  Grain  swung  between  Heaven  and 
earth.  After  the  jerking  of  the  rope  he 
swung  around  and  then  was  still ;  he  did  not 
struggle.  At  1:06  his  pulse  beat  twenty;  at 
1:18  no  pulsation  at  his  wrist;  at  1:22  pul- 
sation ceased,  and  life  was  pronounced  ex- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       219 

tinct  by  Drs.  S.  H.  Bundy  and  John  O'Hara. 
After  hanging  thirty  minutes  the  body  was 
cut  down,  and  his  neck  was  found  partially 
dislocated;  the  eyes  and  countenance  looked 
natural.  Sheriff  Norris  mournrully  did  his 
duty  up  to  the  time  of  the  execution  and  then 
left,  saying  the  law  should  take  its  course. 
At  1 :30  his  body  was  put  in  a  coffin  and  tak- 
en outside  the  jail  and  exhibited  to  the  peo- 
ple, and  then  given  to  brother  Warren,  who 
started  at  3:00,  for  home.  He  was  buried 
next  day.  And  the  wild  winds  of  heaven  will 
sing  their  hoarse  lullaby  over  his  grave  un- 
til the  mighty  angel  Gabriel  writes  the  sol- 
emn legend,  "Finis,"  on  the  hoary  page  of 
time. 

No  polished  stela  points  to  his  rest.  He 
left  to  his  wife  as  a  legacy,  the  memory  of  a 
sad  and  unhappy  man.  He  had  nothing  to 
plead  in  extenuation  of  his  crime  against 
the  laws  of  his  country ;  but  he  has  the  frail- 
ty of  human  nature  to  plead  for  him  at  the 
bar  of  God.  This  is  a  plea  that  has  ever 
opened  the  chambers  of  mercy  to  the  sorrow- 
ing children  of  men.  Grain  was  hung,  "and 
yet  men  whose  guilt  has  wearied  Heaven  for 
vengeance,  are  left  to  cumber  earth."  Mar- 
shall was  not  a  man  of  genius ;  but  when  he 
came  to  this  work  of  blood  his  skill  was  dis- 
played in  a  wonderful  manner.    So  ingen- 


220  THE  HISTORY  OP 

iously  were  his  plans  laid,  and  so  dexterously 
executed  that  nothing  but  treachery  itself 
could  unravel  them. 

Part  of  Marshall's  poem  was  discovered 
by  Cyrus  Oberly  to  have  been  taken  from 
one  by  William  Delaney,  a  New  York  desper- 
ado. 

James  Norris  is  twenty-five  years  old,  a 
large,  fine-looking  man,  very  intelligent  and 
pleasant,  but  was  a  wild,  reckless  boy — loved 
all  kinds  of  amusements,  and  got  into  some 
difficulties,  and  was  several  times  indicted. 
His  father  is  a  respectable  citizen  of  this 
county.  James  worked  for  Bulliner  in  1874, 
when  he  got  into  the  trouble  with  Russell  and 
Pleasant.  At  the  April  term  1876,  he  was 
indicted  for  the  murder  of  James  Henderson, 
and  went  to  trial  defended  by  Clemens  and 
myself — Allen  and  Duff  prosecuting.  Hen- 
derson's dying  declaration  was  introduced, 
saying  that  he  saw  and  knew  Norris;  also, 
Jacob  Beard  testified  that  he  met  Norris  in 
Cairo,  five  days  after  the  shooting,  and  Nor- 
ris was  armed,  and  said  he  was  on  the  scout, 
and  asked  if  Henderson  was  dead,  saying  he 
knew  who  killed  him.  The  defense  was  an 
alibi,  four  witnesses  swearing  that  he  was  in 
Tennessee  that  very  day.  The  jury  found 
him  guilty,  and  fixed  his  time  at  eighteen 
years.    In  overruling  the  motion  for  a  new 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      221 

trial,  the  Court  said  he  could  not  let  the  ver- 
dict stand,  only  on  the  fact  that  Beard's  tes- 
timony made  him  an  accessory  to  the  crime. 
He  was  carried  to  Joliet,  April  27th.  Since 
that  Clemens  went  to  McNairy  coun- 
ty, Tennessee,  and  got  fifteen  other  affidav- 
its that  he  was  there  at  the  time. 

It  had  been  reported  in  Tennessee  that 
some  of  the  Hendersons  were  seen  there 
trying  to  kill  Norris  and  Bulliner,  and  a  com- 
pany of  one  hundred  men  were  raised  and 
scouted  the  country  there,  in  which  Norris 
took  part;  'but  the  Governor  refused  to  par- 
don him.  The  people  said  'This  'alibi'  busi- 
ness is  getting  'too  thin',"  and  there  was  a 
strong  prejudice  existing  here  against  the 
Bulliner  family  in  Tennessee.  They  thought 
David  Bulliner,  Sr.,  was  running  the  whole 
Bulliner  side  of  the  Vendetta,  and  any  one 
coming  from  McNairy  county  was  looked  up- 
on as  a  scoundrel.  This  was  all  wrong.  Da- 
vid Bulliner  is  a  good  man,  and  his  son 
George  is  as  polished  a  gentleman  as  lives  in 
Tennessee.  Those  other  men  are  common, 
sober,  honest  men.  James  Norris  was  not 
proven  guilty. 

Samuel  Music  stands  five  feet  ten  inches 
high,  thirty-four  years  old,  spare  built,  light 
complexion,  high  cheek  bones,  pale  blue  eyes, 
moustache,  and  a  low,  broad  forehead,  with 


222  THE  HISTORY  OP 

black,  curling  hair,  and  has  an  honest,  open 
countenance.  He  was  born  in  1842,  in  Jef- 
ferson County,  Illinois.  He  had  three  sisters 
and  four  brothers.  His  father  was  a  poor 
farmer,  and  at  ten  years  of  age  Sam  lost  his 
mother,  in  1854,  his  father  moved  to  Union 
County,  Ky.  When  the  war  came  up,  he  and 
two  of  his  brothers  joined  the  13th  Kentucky 
(rebel)  Cavalry,  and  served  one  year.  Was 
in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson,  Uniontown 
and  Rollington.  He  deserted  the  rebels  and 
took  the  oath.  In  1863,  his  father  moved 
back  to  this  state.  Sam  came  back  and  was 
arrested  and  taken  to  Louisville,  where  he 
remained  three  months,  and  was  tried  for  be- 
ing a  guerrilla,  and  turned  over  as  a  prisoner 
of  war,  and  sent  to  Camp  Chase.  In  1865, 
he  was  turned  loose  and  came  to  Illinois. 
He  subsequently  lived  at  Centralia,  and  for 
the  last  eight  years  lived  around  Carbondale, 
working,  teaming  generally,  and  drove  a  hack 
to  Marion  for  six  months,  in  1869.  In  1872, 
he  hired  to  drive  a  log  team  at  Mt.  Carbon, 
and,  while  at  this  business,  in  the  edge  of 
Missouri,  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Grif- 
fan,  a  very  handsome  little  lady.  In  August, 
1874,  he  hired  to  Landrum  to  team,  and 
moved  to  Crainville.  He  has  always  been  a 
drunkard,  and  is  illiterate.  During  all  the 
trial  and  fatigue  of  the  prosecutions,  he  stood 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS*       223 

up  without  murmur  or  complaint.  His  for- 
titude never  failed  under  the  most  searching 
cross-examinations,  but  mild,  firm  and  con- 
fiding, he  told  the  same  story  over  and  over. 
If  he  had  refused  to  testify,  or  had  broken 
down,  the  'blood  of  other  men  would  have 
stained  the  soil  of  this  county.  He  said  he 
got  into  this  thing  when  he  was  drunk,  and 
had  no  idea  of  killing  anybody,  and  now  he 
had  done  more  than  justice,  he  had  not  been 
selfish  from  passion  of  principle;  but  had 
told  the  whole  truth.  His  case  went  to  trial 
April  17th,  1876,  defended  by  himself  alone, 
Allen  and  Duff  for  the  People,  who  proved 
his  confession,  etc. 

The  defense  was  that  the  confession  was 
made  under  the  influence  of  hope,  and  not 
proper  evidence.  After  the  argument,  the 
jury  took  the  case,  and  was  out  twenty-one 
hours,  and  failed  to  agree;  eleven  being  for 
acquitting,  and  one  for  conviction.  And  the 
case  was  set  down  for  trial  on  the  21st.  By 
that  time  1  was  afraid  to  try  to  clear  him 
again,  lest  I  failed,  and  it  poisoned  the  pub- 
lic mind  against  him.  Thus  far  it  had  been 
his  faithful  friend,  and  the  prosecution  now 
threatened  to  be  severe.  So,  the  danger  of 
turning  public  sentiment  against  him,  was 
greater  than  the  hope  of  clearing  him.  And, 
if  I  had  failed,  and  the  people  turned  against 


224  THE  HISTORY  OP 

him,  there  would  have  been  no  hope  of  par- 
don. So,  i  was  forced  to  agree  to  a  verdict 
of  guilty,  and  a  term  of  fourteen  years.  Bev» 
eridge  told  B.  F.  Lowe  and  J.  W.  Landrum 
that  what  ever  they  wanted  done  with  Music 
he  would  do.  He,  also,  wrote  to  Duff  ana  Al- 
len, when  he  employed  them,  that  they  might 
say  to  Music,  if  they  thought  best,  that  if 
he  stood  firmly  by  the  truth  throughout  all 
the  trials,  he  would  'be  the  subject  of  execu- 
tive clemency.  And  the  people  supposed  that 
he  would  make  it  a  point  of  honor  to  keep 
this  promise.  A  petition  was  sent  him, 
signed  by  the  parties  designated,  asking 
Music's  pardon;  but  he  refused  to  interfere 
in  the  case. 

At  the  April  term,  Samuel  R.  Grain  was 
indicted  as  accessory  to  the  murder  of 
Spence.  He  was  arrested,  but  being  in  the 
last  stages  of  a  pulmonary  disease,  was  bailed 
in  the  sum  of  $5,000. 

Milton  Baxter  had  been  indicted  for  the 
murder  of  Hinchcliff,  and  he  had  been  ar- 
rested and  confined  in  jail  a  while.  At  this 
term  the  People  nolled.  He,  nor  his  brother, 
were  connected  with  the  Vendetta,  no  further 
than  being  strong  friends  to  Russell  and 
''Texas  Jack." 

With  this,  I  seal  the  volume,  and  turn  my 
eyes  away  from  the  bloody  acts  of  depraved 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      225 

men,  hoping  with  all  the  fervor  of  which  my 
soul  is  capable,  that  God  will  add  no  other 
plague  to  our  county.  Enough  has  been  done, 
to  teach  the  world  that  sorrow  is  the  first  re- 
sult of  ambition,  malice  or  revenge.  The 
first  gun  of  the  Vendetta  that  rang  out  in 
the  air,  betokened  a  coming  storm,  and  since 
then  crime's  destiny  and  miseries'  tale  has 
been  unfolded  with  the  stencil  plates  of  blood 
on  the  souls  of  men.  Many  have  become 
bankrupt  on  the  pathway  to  shame.  The 
different  phases  of  human  life  display  with 
unmatched  and  unequaled  clearness  to  our 
senses  the  great  wrongs  and  sins  to  mankind, 
and  when  we,  in  the  course  of  our  lives  and 
professions  meet  them,  we  are  startled  from 
our  unusual  composure,  and  always  do  take 
them  for  warning  in  the  future.  I  wish  they 
would  not  occur  to  attract  our  notice.  I  wish 
we  could  be  spared  the  recital  of  such  crimes, 
revealing,  as  they  do,  one  after  another  the 
sins  and  depravity  of  society.  But  justice 
demands  that  the  guilty  should  bear  the  re- 
proach, ana  that  the  stain  snould  be  washed 
away  from  the  innocent.  And  while  a  man 
has  a  right  before  God  to  protect  his  own  life, 
he  cannot  become  the  aggressor  without 
blame.  It  was  not  that  spirit  of  barbarism 
which  kills  men  in  Kansas,  that  governed 
the  Vendetta,  but  that  spirit  which  fights 
-F  16 


226  THE  HISTORY  OP 

duels  in  Louisiana.  It  was  the  knock-down 
style  of  the  West,  coming  in  contact  with  the 
code  of  the  South.  The  men  who  killed  Bul- 
liner  would  have  fought  him  a  fist  fight,  but 
they  would  not  fight  a  duel ;  and  they  knew 
that  it  was  death  to  insult  a  Bulliner  and 
then  face  him.  So,  they  laid  down  all  rules, 
and  that  is  why  the  shooting  commenced  on 
the  other  siae.  It  would  never  have  com- 
menced on  the  Bulliner  side ;  and  it  is  not  to 
be  wondered  at  if  they  accommodated  them- 
selves to  this  mode  of  fighting  in  the  bushes. 
The  age  of  chivalry  is  gone,  but  it  has 
left  its  traces  on  the  hearts,  and  it  may  be 
that  they  chose  to  exercise  it  in  a  more  mur- 
derous, but  less  public  way.  The  chastenings 
of  honor  inspired  both  parties  with  courage, 
and  mitigated  their  ferocity;  for  they  did 
not  rob  or  steal,  but  simply  killed.  Their 
common  cause  gave  them  unbridled  and  un- 
fettered alliance,  each  acting  in  subordination 
to  the  other.  They  held  secret  meetings, 
where  powder  and  lead  was  the  toast,  and 
where  they  rejoiced  over  the  death  of  an  en- 
emy like  a  conquering  gladiator  in  the  Roman 
Coliseum,  with  the  fire  of  revenge  roasting 
in  their  eyes.  And  so  deep-laid  were  their 
plans,  that  treachery  alone  succeeded  where 
stratagem  and  ingenuity  had  failed.  The 
judgments  against  these  parties  stand  out 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       227 

resplendent  with  the  Hght  of  noonday  as  a 
beacon  of  warning  that  they  will  be  dupli- 
cated when  even  occasion  requires  it.  At  this 
time,  but  one  side  of  the  Vendetta  had  been? 
punished.  All  on  the  other  side  have  escaped. 

Joseph  W.  Hartwell,  the  State's  Attorn- 
ey, served  the  people  well  in  these  prosecu- 
tions, and  they  have  rewarded  him  by  re- 
electing him.  He  was  born  in  this  county, 
and  raised  a  poor  boy.  When  the  war  came 
up,  he  joined  the  Thirty-First  Regiment 
Illinois  Volunteers,  and  was  at  the  battles  of 
Raymond,  Champion  Hill,  Vicksburg,  Kene- 
saw  and  Atlanta.  July  21st,  1864,  at  Atlan- 
ta, his  left  arm  was  taken  off  by  a  twelve- 
pound  howitzer  ball.  He  came  home  March, 
1865,  and  that  fall  was  elected  County  Treas- 
urer. He  lived  very  hard,  having  a  large 
family,  and  studied  law  under  many  disad- 
vantages, but  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  De- 
cember, 1866.  In  1868  he  was  elected  Cir- 
cuit Clerk,  and  again  ran  in  1872,  but  was 
defeated.  In  1874,  he  was  elected  Mayor  of 
Marion  and  May  15th,  1875,  elected  State's 
Attorney. 

The  people  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to 
Benjamin  F.  Lowe,  for  his  bravery,  skill  and 
firmness.  He  was  born  in  Effingham  coun- 
ty, in  1838,  moved  to  Marion  in  1850.  He 
was  raised  a  poor  boy,  and  worked  around 


228  THE  HISTORY  OP 

promiscuously.  During  the  war  he  went 
South  to  see  the  boys  from  this  county  there, 
and  on  returning  was  arrested  as  a  spy,  but 
after  a  month's  confinement,  escaped  his 
guards,  and  went  to  Canada.  But  he  was 
not  a  spy,  only  having  brought  some  money 
and  letters  through  the  line  for  the  friends  of 
the  boys.  Since  the  war  he  has  lived  at  Ma- 
rion and  Murphysboro,  serving  as  City  Mar- 
shal at  both  places.  In  1866,  he  married 
Miss  Letha  McCowan,  and  is  a  fine  looking 
man,  tall,  slim,  black  hair,  whiskers,  and 
dark  complexion.  He  is  very  pleasant,  witty 
and  an  agreeable,  reliable  man.  He  is  a  pro- 
fessionable  gambler,  and  makes  most  of  his 
money  in  that  way ;  but  he  is  a  peaceable, 
sober,  quiet  man,  and  a  man  whom  the  peo- 
ple have  great  confidence  in,  in  emergen- 
cies. He  took  hold  of  our  troubles  when  it 
seemed  like  death  to  do  so;  but  the  people 
rallied  in  solid  phalanx  to  his  assistence. 

All  men  agree  that  the  man  who  coolly 
and  deliberately  takes  the  life  of  his  fellow- 
man  is  not  fit  to  live,  and  the  Judge  or  jury 
who  lets  such  a  man  go  unpunished  richly 
deserves  the  wrathful  condemnation  of  man- 
kind. Yet,  Judge  Crawford  assumed  a  re- 
sponsibility that  no  Judge  in  our  country 
ever  before  took,  that  of  hanging  a  man  who 
plead  guilty.    And  when  judges  and  juries 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.      229 

take  the  responsibility  of  trying  and  pun- 
ishing criminals  like  this,  the  law  will  'become 
a  terror  to  evil-doers. 

The  practice  of  carrying  concealed  weap- 
ons, which  grew  out  of  the  war,  and  which 
led  to  so  much  bloodshed,  will  soon  be  ended 
if  juries  will  convict  the  guilty  parties.  At 
the  April  term,  1876,  twenty-two  indictments 
for  this  offense  were  found. 

Williamson  county  vindicated  herself. 
She  not  only  furnished  the  men  to  suppress 
crime,  but  she  spent  $13,032.79,  besides  jail 
fees.  We  are  now  beginning  to  have  bright 
hopes  of  the  future.  Men  of  property 
would  not  come  among  us  as  long  as  the  pis- 
tol and  gun  were  used  to  redress  wrongs,  and 
men  were  allowed  to  go  a  "gunning"  for  hu- 
man scalps.  This  has  ceased  in  this  county, 
and  now  if  those  editors  who  labored  so  hard 
to  traduce  our  character  and  disgrace  our 
county,  will  do  as  much  to  restore  it,  soon 
peace  and  prosperity  will  be  printed  on  the 
mangled  tape  of  our  county,  and  soon  that 
odium  that  hangs  around  our  name,  like 
clouds  around  a  mountain,  will  disappear, 
and  Williamson  county  will  stand  forth  re- 
splendent in  the  light  of  a  new  civilization, 
conspicious  and  honorable,  and  take  the  rank 
her  sons  and  resources  entitled  her  to. 


230  THE  HISTORY  OP 

EXPENSES  OF   THE  VENDETTA. 
Expenses  exclusive  of  Bailiffs  and 

dieting  prisoners $     670.24 

Witnesses  for    foreign  counties  .     1,523.55 

Guarding  jail 2,991.00 

Rewards 4,000.00 

Attorney's  fees 3,650.00' 

Hanging   Grain 100.00 

Goffin  and  shrouding 38.00 

Scaffold 10.00 

Glothing  for   "Big  Jep"  and  "Black 

Bill"     50.00 


Total     $13,032.79 

OF  POLITIGS. 

Until  1818,  the  nearest  court  was  held  at 
Shawneetown,  but  our  people  had  very  litt'.a 
business  in  it,  for,  at  that  date,  there  were 
only  one  hundred  and  fifty  souls  in  Frank- 
lin county.  The  records  were  kept  at  the 
residence  of  Moses  Garrett,  from  1818  to 
1826.  In  1820,  Lemuel  R.  Harrison,  sur- 
veyed the  town  of  Frankfort,  and  in  1826 
the  court  house  was  built.  The  first  Sheriff 
of  Franklin  county  was  David  W.  Maxwell, 
and  Samuel  T.  Russell,  of  this  county,  was 
his  deputy,  and  collected  the  taxes  for  1820 
and  1821.  Then  followed  Thomas  J.  Mans- 
field and  John  Grawford.    After  the  division, 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        231 

the  Sheriffs  of  the  county  have  been,  John 
D.  Sanders,  1839;  John  M.  Cunningham, 
1842-44;  Joel  HufFstutler,  1846-48;  John 
Goodall,  1850;  James  Marks,  1852;  Joel 
Huffstutler,  1854;  Jacob  W.  Sanders,  1856; 
Richard  T.  McHenry,  1858 ;  R.  R.  Hendrick- 
son,  1860 ;  Lewis  Spencer,  1862 ;  R.  M.  Allen, 
1864 ;  George  W.  Sisney,  1866 ;  Hardin  Good- 
all,  1868 ;  A.  N,  Owen,  1870 ;  Z.  Hudgens, 
1872;  N.  E.  Norris,  1874;  Wilson  J.  Capling- 
er,  1878. 

The  Collectors  of  this  county  were  Wil- 
liam Hindman,  1839;  William  Dillard,  1840; 
James  M.  Furlong,  1841;  John  S.  Tutton, 
1842;  Robert  P.  Erwin,  1843,  after  which 
the  office  was  united  with  the  Sheriff's. 

The  County  Judge  were  Simon  Hubbard, 
who  held  the  office  of  County  and  Circuit 
Clerk,  County  Judge,  Master-in-Chancery, 
and  Recorder  of  Deeds,  followed  by  W.  A. 
Denning  and  Samuel  K.  Casey.  After  the 
division,  W.  H.  Eubank,  1849;  David  Nor- 
man, 1855 ;  I.  M.  Lewis,  Jesse  Bishop,  J.  M. 
Spain,  1869;  and  now  Bishop  again. 

The  Commissioners  have  been,  Cyrus 
Campbell,  Starling  Hill,  F.  F.  Duncan,  Joab 
Goodall,  John  T.  Damron,  R.  L.  Fully, 
Thomas  Scurlock,  Thomas  D.  Davis,  John 
Brown,  Jonathan  Jimpson,  William  Hind- 
man,  Addison  Reece,  Bazzell  Holland,  John 


232  THE  HISTORY  OP 

H.  Manier,  M.  S.  Strike,  C.  M.  Bidwell,  R. 
H.  Wise,  James  B.  Roberts. 

The  first  Circuit  Court  was  held  by 
Samuel  D.  Lockwood,  followed  by  Browne 
and  Hardin.  After  the  division,  Walter  B. 
Scates,  W.  A.  Denning,  W.  K.  Parrish,  Wil- 
lis Allen,  W.  J.  Allen,  A.  D.  Duff,  and  now 
M.  C.  Crawford. 

The  People's  Attorneys  have  been  Sam- 
uel D.  Marshall,  and,  after  the  division,  W. 
H.  Stickney,  Willis  Allen,  W.  A.  Denning,  S. 
S.  Marshall,  F.  W.  Rawlins,  W.  K.  Parrish, 
John  A.  Logan,  M.  C.  Crawford,  E.  V. 
Pierce,  J.  M.  Clemison,  C.  N.  Damron,  F.  M. 
Youngblood,  J.  B.  Calvert,  pro  tern.,  J.  D.  F. 
Jennings,  and  now  J.  W.  Hartwell. 

The  County  Clerks  have  been  John  Bain- 
bridge,  1839;  John  Hicks,  1840;  Elijah  Mc- 
intosh, 1841;  Thomas  Davis,  1841;  A.  P. 
Corder,  1843 ;  John  White,  1848 ;  John  H. 
White,  1852;  John  M.  Cunningham,  1861; 
W.  N.  Mitchell,  1865;  J.  W.  Samuels,  1869; 
W.  H.  Eubanks,  1873.  The  County  Clerks 
did  the  probate  business  until  1849. 

Circuit  Clerks,  John  Lowden,  1849;  G. 
W.  Goddard,  1856;  John  M.  Cunningham, 
1861;  J.  W.  Hartwell,  1868;  C.  H.  Dennison, 
1872,  and  M.  S.  Strike,  1876. 

In  an  early  day  taxation  was  no  burden 
to  the  people,  being  only  iwenty-five  cents 


WILUAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      233 

on  the  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  property. 
Wolf  scalps  were  as  good  as  county  orders. 
For  the  purpose  of  paying  a  premium  of  one 
dollar  per  scalp  for  wolves,  an  assessment 
of  two  dollars  on  each  voter  was  made,  but 
wolf  scalps,  bear,  deer  and  coon  skins  could 
be  exchanged  for  tax  receipts. 

It  is  common  for  us  to  speak  of  those 
early  settlers  as  virtuous,  honorable  and  up- 
right men;  but  they  sometimes  committed 
crimes,  and  occasionally  a  man  was  sent  to 
prison.  The  law  was  not  enforced  then,  as 
at  present.  The  people  had  an  inherent 
sense  of  right,  which  was  as  efficacious  in 
suppressing  crime  as  the  law.  Hezekiah 
Garrett  once  killed  a  man  in  Frankfort  with 
his  fist,  and  was  sentenced  to  the  State's 
prison  for  one  hour.  He  was  a  very  good 
man.  Most  cases  were  tried  by  Justices 
of  the  Peace,  of  whom  many  ridiculous 
stories  are  told. 

The  county  being  mostly  settled  by  peo- 
ple from  Tennesee,  in  Jackson's  times,  they 
were  all  strong  Jackson  men,  or  Democrats; 
but  after  the  slavery  question  was  settled, 
in  1818,  political  excitement  did  not  run 
high  here  until  the  election  of  James  K. 
Polk,  described  hereafter. 

The  manner  of  voting  was  by  word  of 


234  THE  HISTORY  OP 

mouth,  until  1849,  when  the  ballot  was  ad- 
opted. 

The  militia  was  well  organized,  and  kept 
up  regular  muster  until  1845.  Company 
musters  were  held  at  David  Norman's,  John 
Snider's,  Sarahsville,  Thos.  Hill's,  Solon  San- 
ders and  Bainbridge.  Batallion  drills  were 
held  at  David  Norman's,  John  Sander's,  and 
Bainbridge.  Regimental  musters  were  held 
yearly  at  Frankfort,  until  the  division,  then 
at  Marion,  there  being  a  regiment  in  this 
county.  James  Corder  was  the  first  Major 
from  this  county;  Allen  Bainbridge  was 
the  first  Colonel ;  John  Davis,  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral; John  S.  Tutton,  last  Colonel,  and  R.  P. 
Erwin  last  Adjutant.  A  great  crowd  of 
these  soldiers  got  into  a  difficulty  at  Bain- 
bridge once,  and  just  as  they  stripped  and 
walked  out  to  fight,  a  streak  of  lightning 
struck  a  cotton-wood  tree,  near  by,  bursting 
it  into  splinters,  and  they  all  ran  off  like 
devils. 

In  1832,  when  the  Black  Hawk  war  be- 
gan, the  Governor  called  for  230  men  from 
Franklin  county,  and  one  company  com- 
manded by  Jeff  Stephens,  went  from  Frank- 
lin county,  and  the  others  from  what  is  now 
this  county.  The  militia  were  summoned 
formed  into  line  ready  for  draft.  They  did 
not  like  to  go  so  far  to  fight  Indians.    But 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        235 

just  before  the  "hat"  was  passed,  an  order 
came  to  give  a  chance  for  volunteers.  Enough 
volunteered  to  make  up  the  company,  and  a 
shout  of  joy  rang  out  along  the  line  from 
those  who  did  not  want  to  go,  on  seeing  the 
company  full,  Hugh,  Samuel,  Thomas,  Jack- 
son and  James  Parks,  Junior  Meredith, 
Wm.  Grain,  Wm.  Groves  and  0.  H.  Wiley, 
were  among  the  number  who  went.  Obadiah 
West  was  elected  Gaptain;  Hugh  Parks 
First  Lieutenant,  and  Robert  West  Second 
Lieutenant.  They  went  through  to  Rock 
river  on  horseback,  and  after  three  months 
returned  home  without  having  done  any 
fighting.  Black  Hawk  was  defeated,  and 
soon  after  died. 

The  division  of  Franklin  county  into  the 
counties  of  Franklin  and  Williamson,  was 
authorized  by  Act  of  Legislature,  approved 
February  the  28th,  1839,  providing  that 
the  legal  voters  of  Franklin  county  should 
meet  at  their  respective  places  of  voting,  on 
the  first  Monday  in  August,  1839,  and  vote 
for  or  against  a  division  of  the  county.  The 
Act  further  provided  that  in  case  a  majority 
of  the  votes  cast  were  in  favor  of  division, 
the  new  county  should  be  called  "WMliam- 
son,"  and  then  proceeded  to  bound  the 
county.  The  election  was  held,  and  a  major- 
ity voted  for  the  division.     The  Act     also 


236  THE  HISTORY  OF 

provided  that  an  election  for  county  officers 
should  be  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  Sep- 
tember, 1839,  and  the  returns  of  said  elec- 
tion should  be  made  to  Wm.  Norris,  Star- 
ling Hill,  and  John  T.  Davis,  three  Justices, 
who  should  meet  at  Bainbridge,  and  ab- 
stract the  returns,  and  transmit  the  same  to 
the  Secretary  of  State.  This  election  re- 
sulted in  the  election  of  Duncan  and  Hill, 
as  County  Commissioners;  Campbell  was  al- 
ready one  by  virtue  of  being  one  in  Frank- 
lin county.  Sanders  was  elected  Sheriff. 
The  Act  also  provided  for  a  division  of  the 
school  funds,  and  Williamson  county  got 
$469.51,  as  her  part.  By  the  same  Act,  Cal- 
vin Bridges,  of  Union  county,  Thornsberry 
C.  Anderson  of  Gallatin,  and  Jefferson  Al- 
len, of  Jackson,  were  appointed  to  locate 
and  lay  out  the  seat  of  Justice  in  this  coun- 
ty. They  were  authorized  to  require  a  do- 
nation of  twenty  acres  of  land,  to  be  made 
to  the  county,  for  this  purpose.  On  the 
19th  day  of  August,  1839,  the  commission- 
ers appeared  before  Wm.  Norris,  and  took 
an  oath  to  locate  the  county  seat  as  near 
the  center  of  the  county  as  was  eligible. 

On  the  7th  day  of  October,  1839,  the 
County  Commissioners  met  at  the  residence 
of  Wm.  Benson,  and  cast  lots  for  the  dif- 
ferent terms  of  service.     Campbell     drew 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       237 

the  short  term,  one  year;  Hill,  the  interme- 
diate, and  Duncan  the  long  term,  three 
years.  Their  first  work  was  to  approve  the 
bond  of  the  Sheriff  and  County  Clerk.  On 
the  same  day,  October  8th,  John  Davis  re- 
ported as  Justice  of  the  Peace,  of  having 
fined  Thos.  Culbreth  $3.00  for  an  assault 
and  battery  on  Michael  Shanks,  which  is 
the  first  criminal  case  recorded  in  the  coun- 
ty. Two  days  afterward,  the  Court  laid  the 
county  off  into  five  election  precincts, 
Northern,  Saline,  Grassy,  Fredonia  and  Ma- 
rion, whi'.'h  extended  through  the  county 
north  and  south;  and  appointed  Judges  of 
Election.  They  then  laid  the  county  out  in 
twelve  road  districts,  corresponding  to  our 
twelve  townships,  and  appointed  Supervis- 
ors. Men  were  also  appointed  to  mark  out 
and  locate  roads.  Henry  W.  Perry  surveyed 
the  town  lots.  These  were  ordered  to  be 
sold  on  six,  twelve  and  eighteen  months' 
time  by  the  Sheriff.  The  sale  commenced 
on  the  17th  day  of  November,  1839,  and  con- 
tinued for  three  days,  during  which  time 
thirty-eight  lots  were  sold,  and  went  very 
high. 

The  southeast  corner  of  the  square  was 
covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  hazel  brush, 
and  R.  M.  Hundley,  Daniel  Stroud  and  Jesse 


238  THE  HISTORY  OP 

Sanders  were  employed  to  "shrub  off"  the 
square. 

On  the  second  day  of  December,  1839, 
Gabriel  Sanders  took  the  contract  for  build- 
ing the  Clerk's  office  on  the  square,  for 
$108.  It  was  finished,  and  the  Court  moved 
into  it  May  the  4th,  1850.  The  contract  for 
the  jail  was  let  to  Squire  Howell,  for  $335, 
on  the  8th  day  of  January,  1840.  It  was  a 
log  house,  and  stood  where  the  jail  now 
stands.  When  he  got  it  finished  the  Court 
docked  him  $25,  for  defective  work. 

Richard  Cook  was  the  first  prisoner. 
He  had  been  in  Franklin  jail  from  this  end 
of  the  county  on  a  charge  of  horse  stealing, 
before  the  division,  and  brought  here.  John 
G.  Sparks  was  first  Jailer,  and  got  thirty- 
seven  and  a  half  cents  a  day  for  dieting 
prisoners. 

John  Davis  was  the  first  man  to  get 
license  to  retail  whisky;  but  during  1839, 
two  of  the  County  Court  began  to  sell  whis- 
ky. A  pretty  hard  record  for  this  county. 
Campbell  kept  at  Bainbridge,  and  Hill  at 
his  residence,  until  he  moved  to  Marion,  and 
the  "Honorable  the  Worshipful"  Judges 
fixed  the  price  of  whisky  at  twenty-five 
cents  a  pint,  which  they  afterwards  reduced 
to  twenty  and  a  half  cents. 

On  the  3rd  day  of    March,    1840,    the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       239 

Court  divided  the  county  into  two  Assessor's 
districts.  Western,  with  Samuel  T.  Russell, 
Assessor,  and  Eastern,  with  George  W. 
Binkley.  At  the  first  assessment  there 
were  154  tracks  of  land,  valued  at  $27,136. 
Personal  property  was  valued  at  $139,410. 
Taxes  on  land  was  twenty  and  on  personal 
property  twenty-five  cents  per  hundred 
dollars'  worth.  Total  taxes  for  1839, 
$749.25;  delinquent  list,  $18.01  1-2; 
$407.12  of  this  amount  was  county  funds. 
The  Clerk  received  two  cents  a  tract  for  ex- 
tending the  land  on  the  Collector's  books, 
$8.08,  and  five  per  cent,  on  personal  prop- 
erty, $69.70. 

In  1841,  John  Paschal  built  the  court- 
house. It  was  forty  feet  square,  two  stories 
high,  and  built  of  brick,  on  the  Square,  at  a 
cost  of  $3,500.  It  stood  until  1859,  when  it 
was  removed  and  a  house  built  of  the  brick 
on  the  Brooks  farm. 

March  3rd,  1840,  the  first  grand  and 
petit  jury  were  selected  by  the  Court;  only 
three  of  the  first  are  alive — 0.  H-  Wiley, 
Hugh  Parks,  and  Thomas  Cox;  and  only 
two  of  the  last — L.  C.  Parks  and  James 
Shaw.  During  this  year  the  Court  appoint- 
ed Overseers  of  the  Poor,  and  up  to  1860, 
when  the  county  bought  the  poor  farm, 
there  were  a  great  many  sickly  people  in 


240  THE  HISTORY  OP 

the  county.  Ehud  Lamaster  took  the  con- 
tract to  keep  the  paupers,  at  $1.40  per  week, 
per  head.  There  were  not  one-tenth  as 
many.  They  did  not  like  to  be  sick,  but  the 
idea  of  going  to  the  poor  house  was  intol- 
erable. The  house  cost  $147.  The  keepers 
have  been  Lamaster,  Roberts,  Cash  and 
Doty.  One  of  the  paupers,  Rebecca  Hilder- 
brand,  has  been  a  county  charge  for  twenty- 
three  years  and  has  cost  the  county  $2,392. 
4  In  1840,  Warrington  K.  Spiller  tran- 
scribed the  land  records  of  Franklin  county, 
pertaining  to  this  county,  for  $46.  The 
county  records  are  now  all  in  a  perfect  con- 
dition; but  some  of  them  are  badly  writ- 
ten and  difficult  to  read.  The  first  Circuit 
Court  was  began  May  4,  1840,  by  Walter  B. 
Scates,  in  the  little  clerk's  office  on  the 
Square.  This  court  was  conducted  very 
loosely.  A  Justice's  court  had  simply 
authority,  without  dignity,  in  those  days. 
While  Starling  Hill  was  County  Com- 
missioner, he  was  also  ex-officio  a  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  and  kept  a  grocery  in  Marion. 
He  could  be  seen  sitting  at  his  window, 
selling  whisky  to  a  fighting  rabble  on  the 
outside,  while  a  case  was  being  tried  on  the 
inside  by  a  jury,  and  the  jury,  lawyers,  wit- 
nesses and  everybody  else  half  drunk,  talk- 
ing about  horse  races,  etc.,    so    mixed    up 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS-        241 

that  nobody  could  tell  the  jury  from  the 
rabble;  but  when  the  verdict  came,  it  was 
about  right.  This  was  not  the  case  in  Hill's 
court  alone,  but  it  was  the. general  custom. 

Under  the  law^  of  1819,  the  Court  had 
power  to  fix  the  fare  at  hotels,  and  they 
fixed  the  price  of  a  meal  at  12  cents,  of 
horse-feed  at  12  cents,  and  of  lodging  at 
6  1-4  cents. 

Allen  Bainbridge  put  up  the  ''Western 
Exchange,"  the  first  regular  hotel  in  the 
town.  It  was  a  brick  building,  fifty  feet 
long,  and  two  stories  high,  situated  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Square,  on  which  he  paid 
out  37  1-2  cents  in  cash,  the  rest  being  paid 
in  goods.  In  1844,  there  were  four  Aboli- 
tionists in  the  county,  and  three  hundred 
Whigs.  Political  excitement  ran  very  high. 
Some  of  the  Democrats  had  the  horns  of 
their  oxen  painted  with  polk  berries,  and 
one  teacher  brought  his  whole  school  into 
town,  with  his  scholars  painted.  The 
Whigs  would  drag  the  polk  stalk  in  the 
dust  behind  their  wagons,  and  the  result 
was  many  fights.  I  tell  this  to  show  that 
thirty  years  progress  has  made  us  no  better. 
The  Cutrells,  Russells,  Roberts,  Ryburns 
and  McDoonalds  were  Whigs.  The  first 
liberty-pole  raised  in  the  county,  was  raised 
in  1848,  by  the  Whigs. 
-f  16 


242  THE  HISTORY  OP 

When  the  call  for  troops  was  made  to 
fight  Mexico,  this  county  responded  promp- 
tly. In  1846,  A.  P.  Corder  and  E.  A.  Phil- 
lips took  a  few  men  from  this  county  and 
entered  the  service  at  Calendonia,  Illinois. 
They  joined  Capt.  H.  L.  Webb's  company, 
in  the  2d  regiment  of  the  first  call  of 
Illinois  Volunteers.  On  the  battle-field  of 
Beuna  Vista,  Corder  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  a  captain,  from  a  private,  for  his 
reckless  bravery.  In  1847,  John  M.  Cun- 
ningham made  up  a  company  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  men,  and  left  Marion, 
May  the  24th,  for  Alton.  On  arriving  there, 
Jackson  Damron  took  forty  of  the  men  and 
joined  company  **E,"  from  St.  Clair  county. 
Cunningham's  company  was  Company  "B," 
of  the  first  regiment  of  the  second  call,  or 
5th  Illinois  regiment.  B.  F.  Furlong  was 
First  Lieutenant,  R.  M.  Hundley  was  Sec- 
ond Lieutenant,  and  D.  L.  Pully  was  Third 
Lieutenant,  W.  H.  Eubanks,  Orderly  Ser- 
geant; Wm.  Sykes,  Chief  Musician;  Harvey 
Russell-  Color-bearer;  E.  W.  B.  Nubia  (a 
very  bad  man),  was  Colonel,  and Boy- 
kin  (a  very  good  man),  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
They  left  Alton  June  17th,  1847 ;  left  Leav- 
enworth, July  7th,  and  marched  through  to 
Santa  Fe  on  foot,  where  they  arrived  De- 
cember 12.     They  returneli  home  October, 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       243 

1848,  and  were  received  with  public  dinner 
in  the  Court  House. 

Capt.  James  Hampton  raised  another 
squad  in  this  county,  and  joined  John  A. 
Logan  from  Jackson,  and  one  Provo,  from 
Union,  and  made  another  company.  Thomas 
I.  McKinney,  now  General  McKinney,  was 
a  private  in  Cunningham's  company.  A 
soldier,  in  1848,  in  this  county,  was  a  cu- 
riosity, and  the  people  came  from  all  quar- 
ters to  see  the  troops,  as  they  returned  home. 

In  1852,  J.  M.  Campbell  was  appointed 
Drainage  Commissioner,  to  sell  the  swamp 
lands  of  the  county,  but  he  soon  resigned, 
and  James  D.  Pully  was  appointed  in  his 
place.  In  1863,  Mr.  Pully  made  his  full  re- 
port, having  sold  all  the  swamp  lands  of 
the  county,  amounting  to  over  23,000  acres. 
These  lands  were  sold  in  1st,  2nd  and  3rd 
classes,  for  75,  50  and  25  cents  per  acre,  and 
the  proceeds  went  to  the  school  fund. 

During  the  campaign  of  1856,  the  Dem- 
ocrats were  very  noisy,  and  the  Republicans 
were  silent.  Griffin  Garland  made  the  first 
Republican  speech  in  the  county,  during  this 
campaign,  and  Col.  Ben  L.  Wiley,  Repub- 
lican candidate  for  Congress,  received  forty- 
four  votes  in  the  county.  The  campaign  of 
1856  was  attended  by  many  rough-and- 
tumble  fights,  and  whisky  was     issued  put 


244  THE  HISTORY  OP 

by  the  bucket  full.  Men  were  generally  al- 
lowed to  vote  as  they  pleased,  but  abo- 
litionists were  looked  upon  with  contempt. 

On  the  19th  day  of  March  1858,  R.  M. 
Hundley  took  the  contract  of  building  a 
new  court-house  for  $9,500,  $7,700  in  coun- 
ty orders,  and  $1,800  out  of  the  swamp 
land  fund.  He  gave  bond  in  the  sum  of 
$19,000  to  have  it  completed  by  the  15th  day 
of  November  1858,  which  he  did.  He  then 
got  $245  for  painting  it,  and  N.  B.  Colvert 
$305  for  furnishing  the  court  room-  It  was 
burned  down  May  30,  1875.  All  the  houses 
on  the  block  on  which  it  stood  were  also 
burned,  the  loss  being  about  $25,000.  This 
was  the  only  fire  that  ever  occurred  in  Ma- 
rion of  any  consequence. 

The  old  court-house  was  a  plain,  brick 
building,  without  any  parapets,  turrets  or 
ramparts.  Many  have  been  the  scenes  of 
revelry  and  romance  within  its  courts.  Its 
walls  have  resounded  with  the  commotion  of 
war-like  preparations,  and  the  still,  poison- 
ous breath  of  treason  has  been  whispered 
in  its  precincts.  Again,  it  has  been  the  scene 
of  festive  occasions,  where  our  native  belles 
vied  with  other  in  a  perfect  oreola  of  beau- 
ty. Lot  No.  2  of  block  No.  5  of  the  original 
survey,  on  which  this  house  stood,  was  sold 
by  the  county  June  19,     1875,  for    $1,775. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       245 

The  court  then  rented  a  room  from  Goodall 
and  Campbell,  ifor  $500  a  year,  to  hold 
court  in.  At  the  November  election  of  that 
year,  a  proposition  was  submitted  to  the 
voters  for  raising,  by  special  taxation,  a 
sum  sufficient  in  five  years  to  build  a  court- 
house; but  the  majority  was  against  it. 

The  first  politician  that  figured  in  our 
county  was  Thomas  Roberts,  of  Northern. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1818.  Willis  Allen  and  Allen 
Bainbridge  were  both  elected  in  1838,  to  the 
Legislature  on  the  question  of  a  division  of 
the  county.  Soon  after  the  division,  Allen 
moved  to  Marion,  and  bought  three  acres 
land  from  Benson.  It  had  a  log  cabin  on  it, 
in  which  he  lived  for  some  time.  He  was  a 
man  of  considerable  talent,  great  shrewd- 
ness, and  unbounded  energy.  He  lived  re- 
spected by  all,  and  idolized  by  his  party.  He 
went  to  Congress  in  1852,  again  in  1854, 
served  several  terms  in  the  Legislature,  and 
died  in  1859,  while  holding  court,  as  circuit 
judge,  in  Saline  county.  Allen  was  a  spare 
built  man,  erect,  graceful,  and  of  uncom- 
mon strength,  agility  and  endurance.  His 
voice  was  soft  and  melodious,  countenance 
rudy  and  fair,  his  hair  was  russet  brown,  a 
soft  grayish  blue  eye,  lighted  by  a  fascinat- 
ing smile.    He  was  frank,  generous  and  con- 


246  THE  HISTORY  OP 

f iding  to  a  fault,  and  was  more  interested  in 
doing  a  kindness  to  others,  than  serving 
himself.  When  he  was  engaged  his  glance 
was  withering.  He  was  the  father  of  the 
Honorable  W.  J.  Allen,  and  was  the  most 
powerful  politician  in  Southern  Illinois  in 
his  day. 

In  1848,  John  T.  Lowden  was  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  from  this 
county.  He  was  a  Whig,  but  a  man  of 
prominence  and  merit.  The  Ingersolls 
came  to  this  county  about  1853,  and  in  1854 
Robert  J.  and  Clark,  and  W.  J.  Allen  were 
all  admitted  to  the  bar.  They  were  consid- 
ered a  very  intellectual  family;  but,  being 
Abolitionists,  and  the  boys  being  deists,  ren- 
dered them  obnoxious  to  our  people  in  that 
respect.  Robert  and  J.  H.  Manier,  on  one 
occasion,  got  the  keys  to  the  printing  office, 
and  one  night  went  in  and  printed  a  long 
poem,  which  Robert  had  written,  on  the 
citizens  of  the  town,  and  left  a  copy  at  each 
man's  door.  The  poem  was  abusive,  and 
created  a  considerable  stir,  but  the  author 
could  never  be  found.  Robert  once  got 
mad  at  Josh.  Allen  for  something,  and  used 
to  say  on  the  streets,  "I  will  overshadow 
Josh.  Allen  yet."  They  left  here  in  1856, 
and  settled  at  Peoria,  and  Robert  J.  Inger- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       247 

soil  is  now  one  of  the  most  renowned  ora- 
tors of  ancient  or  modern  times. 

Anderson  P.  Corder  was  known  in 
Franklin  county  as  a  school  teacher.  He 
came  to  Marion  in  1840,  and  commenced 
the  practice  of  law.  He  figured  in  our  poli- 
tics until  1874,  and  was  the  most  singular 
politician  ever  in  the  county.  Sometimes 
he  would  rise  in  public  estimation  until  he 
could  have  been  elected  to  and  office;  then, 
again,  sink  beneath  public  contempt.  He 
was  in  the  State  Senate  one  term,  and  held 
the  position  of  Master-in-Chancery.  He 
was  not  a  profound  thinker,  but  a  witty, 
fluent  speaker.  From  1840  to  1850,  he  held 
almost  despotic  political  influence-  No  man 
thought  of  running  for  office  without  his 
consent;  but  in  latter  years  he  lived  a  hard, 
intemperate  life,  and  not  only  lost  his  in- 
fluence, but  lost  that  respect  which  ought 
to  attend  a  man  of  gray  hairs.  There  are 
many  incidents  in  the  life  of  this  man  that 
would  be  interesting  to  our  people,  had  I 
room  to  give  them.  During  the  war  he  was 
an  outspoken  southern  sympathizer,  but 
when  invasion  threatened  this  State,  he 
drew  his  sword  for  defense. 

Hon.  W.  J.  Allen  was  raised  in  this  coun- 
ty, was  in  Congress  several  terms,  and  in 
the  Legislature.     He  moved  to     Cairo     in 


248  THE  HISTORY  OF 

1865,  and  now  resides  in  Carbondale-  For 
the  last  twenty-two  years  he  has  been  inti- 
mately connected  with  our  politics,  and  ap- 
pears conspicuous  and  interesting  at  every 
point.  He  was  for  a  long  time  a  law  part- 
ner of  Senator  John  A.  Logan,  when  he 
(Logan)  lived  in  this  county.  The  charac- 
ters of  these  men  are  not  local,  and  there- 
fore not  a  part  of  my  subject,  only  where 
they  have  operated  in  our  local  politics. 
They  are  both  men  whose  profound  and  uni- 
versal genius  it  is  impossible  to  contem- 
plate without  respect.  And,  however  much 
we  may  differ  fromi  either  of  them  politi- 
cally, we  are  bound  to  admit  that  they  are 
great  men — the  honor  and  pride  of  our 
county.  Our  children  will  proud  that  such 
men  ever  lived  in  the  county. 

Capt.  John  M.  Cunningham,  the  father- 
in-law  of  John  A-  Logan,  was  a  politician  of 
good  ability;  one  of  the  most  affable  and 
polished  men  of  his  day.  He  held  several 
county  offices,  and,  like  Corder,  was  a 
Democrat,  and  during  the  war,  very  bitter. 
In  1869  he  received  the  appointment  of 
Provost  Marshal  in  Utah  Territory,  where 
he  died  in  1874,  and  was  brought  to  Marion 
by  Mrs.  Mary  Logan. 

James  D.  Fully  was  a  leader  in  the 
Democratic  party  during  the    war,    and    a 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       249 

man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  and  a' 
high  order  of  intelligence.  He  served  two 
terms  in  the  Legislature,  and  was  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
Eighth  Regiment  of  Hlinois  Volunteers. 
His  outspoken  manner  of  defending  his 
principles  was  the  cause  of  some  personal 
feelings  between  him  and  Republicans.  He 
died  January  2nd,  1866,  in  the  full  vigor  of 
manhood. 

Colonel  Robert  M.  Hundley  came  into 
this  county  in  1838,  a  penniless  boy,  and  is 
now  one  of  our  wealthiest  citizens.  He  is  a 
man  of  talent  and  great  shrewdness.  Dur- 
ing the  war  he  was  an  ardent  Democrat, 
wielded  a  powerful  influence.  He  was 
Colonel  of  tne  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
Eighth  Illinois  Volunteers,  and  in  1868 
came  out  as  a  Republican  candidate  for 
State  Senator,  'but  was  defeated.  Since 
then  he  has  held  the  balance  ot  power  be- 
tween the  two  parties  in  this  county,  and 
generally  uses  it  on.  the  side  of  the  Demo- 
cracy. He  is  a  very  outspoken,  fluent  talk- 
er, but  does  his  political  work  sub  rosa,  so 
that  the  effect  can  be  seen  like  the  burst- 
ing up  of  waters  from  an  undercurrent.  He 
still  lives  in  this  county,  as  a  target  for  the 
deliberate  and  persistent  defamation  of  his 


250  THE  HISTORY  OP 

opponents,  and  the  spontaneous  praise  of 
his  admirers. 

George  W.  Goddard  is  a  lawyer  and  pol- 
itician of  the  old  stripe  and  fashion — too 
honest  for  modern  politics.  He  is  a  War 
Democrat,  and  was  Captain  of  Company 
C,  Thirty-First  Regiment  Illinois  Volun- 
teers. In  the  army  he  was  a  brave  and  re- 
spected soldier.  He  has  been  Circuit  Clerk, 
and  is  now  Mayor  of  Marion,  and  is  one 
of  those  men  "in  whom  the  elements  are  so 
happily  united  that  Nature  can  stand  up 
and  say  to  all  the  world,  this  is  a  man." 

Hon.  A.  C.  Nelson  came  to  this  county 
over  twenty-five  years  ago,  penniless.  As 
a  partisan,  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  a  man  of 
good  talent,  and  very  eloquent.  He  served 
one  term  in  the  Legislature,  and  won  for 
himself  the  title  of  "Egyptian  orator."  Mr. 
Nelson  has  served  his  party  well,  and  now 
lives  on  his  farm,  a  model  of  all  that  is  hon- 
orable in  principle,  virtuous  in  nature,  and 
praisworty  in  action.  He  is  a  minister 
who  practices  what  he  preaches,  and  will 
live  in  our  history  in  an  immortality  of  re- 
spect. 

James  M.  Washburn  commenced  the 
practice  of  law  in  this  county  fifteen  years 
ago,  and  since  been  a  Democratic  politician 
of  considerable  prominence.       During    the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       251 

war  he  was  very  bitter  at  times,  and  has 
'been  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and  also  to 
the  Lower  House,  in  1876,  and  as  a  member 
of  the  Constitutional  Convention  in  1869. 
He  is  a  man  that  all  parties  admit  is  honest 
and  upright  in  his  daily  work,  and  is  now 
the  leader  of  his  party. 

Jesse  Bishop,  a  leading  Repubhcan, 
came  into  this  county  during  the  war,  and 
has  since  held  a  high  place  in  our  politics. 
He  several  times  fared  roughly  at  the  hands 
of  Democrats,  but  managed  to  carry  a  good 
many  of  them  with  him  when  he  was  elected 
County  Judge. 

William  W.  Clemens,  a  leading  Demo- 
crat, is  a  man  of  excellent  talent,  and, 
though  a  man  of  delicate  constitution,  has 
great  tenacity  of  life,  and  physical  endur- 
ance. He  walked  into  this  county  in  1862; 
a  poor  boy,  without  money,  and  commenced 
the  study  of  law,  and  has  since  worked  his 
way  up  to  the  highest  room  in  the  public 
estimation.  He  possesses  a  boyant  and  hap- 
py temperament,  lives  a  purfe  Kfe,  fond  of 
home  and  the  society  of  his  friends.  He 
cares  but  little  for  the  bitter  invectives  of 
crafty  demagogues.  What  he  is  and  what 
he  has,  are  the  legitimate  results  of  persist- 
ent labor,  backed  by  economy  and  good 
sense.    His  solid  legal  attainments  have  won 


252  THE  HISTORY  OP 

for  him  the  respect,  and  placed  him  in  the 
foremost  rank,  of  the  bar  in  Southern  Illi- 
nois. 

John  H.  Mulkey  commenced  the  prac- 
tice of  law  in  this  county  in  1856,  and  soon 
removed  to  Cairo,  where  he  is  to-day  ac- 
knowledged to  be  the  most  profound  and 
classic  lawyer  in  all  of  Egypt. 

George  W.  Young,  a  lawyer  and  leading 
Republican,  was  raised  in  this  county.  His 
early  life  was  rendered  unpleasant  by  pov- 
erty and  frequent  hardships.  He  enlisted  in 
the  army  when  a  mere  boy,  and  rose  to  the 
rank  of  lieutenant.  He  belonged  to  that 
class  of  men  who  would  "rather  be  right 
than  President,"  and  his  unobsequious,  self- 
directed  attachment  to  what  he  'believes  to 
be  honest  and  right,  makes  him  appear  ab- 
rupt and  independent;  thereby  rendering 
him  unpopular  with  those  who  do  not  share 
his  opinions;  but  as  a  citizen  and  officer  his 
conduct  is  emblazoned  by  the  high^t  mor- 
ability  and  integrity. 

Jerome  B.  Calvert,  a  leading  lawyer  and 
Democrat,  is  a  man  whose  life  has  been 
marked  by  the  highest  integrity,  but,  owing 
to  his  indisposition  to  ingratiate  himself  in- 
to popular  favor,  by  simulating  graces  and 
deceptive  smiles,  he  has  not  reached     the 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      253 

prominence  in  his  party  that  his  ability  and 
honesty  entitle  him  to. 

Some  of  the  men  whom  I  have  described 
were  the  politicians  in  the  great  campaign 
of  1860.  Nobody  in  this  county  ever  dream- 
ed that  Abraham  Lincoln  would  be  elected 
President;  and  though  there  were  less  than 
one  hundred  Republicans  in  the  county,  yet 
the  excitement  ran  higher  than  usual.  When 
Lincoln  was  elected,  many  of  our  people 
felt  it  their  duty  to  stand  by  him.  John  A. 
Logan  openly  declared  that  he  would  shoul- 
der his  gun  to  have  him  inaugurated.  The 
people  commence  to  change  over  to  the  Re- 
publican party  before  Lincoln  took  his  seat. 
They  first  declared  for  the  Union,  then  en- 
dorsed General  Scott,  and  finally  Abraham 
Lincoln.  But  among  the  old-liners  a  strong 
sympathy  for  the  South  was  felt-  By  the 
first  of  April,  1861,  the  parties  were  nearly 
equally  divided, .  and  excitement  was  run- 
ning very  high.  Our  leading  men  were  in 
trouble,  and  some  were  noisy  and  clamor- 
ous for  Southern  Rights.  In  a  few  days  aft- 
er the  inauguration,  Peter  Keifer  made  a 
speech  in  the  Court  House,  in  which  he  said, 
"Our  Country  Must  Be  Saved;"  but  it  was 
understood  that  "our  country"  meant 
the  South,,  by  the  motion  of  his  hand.  Sym- 
pathy of  "our  Southern  brethren"     became 


254  THE  HISTORY  OP 

stronger  and  stronger  every  day.  Proposi- 
tions for  organizing  the  people  into  com- 
panies and  regiments  were  made.  Secession 
was  openly  talked  of  until  th^  9th  day  of 
April,  1861,  when  it  began  to  take  shape.  It 
was  just  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumpter;  a 
party  of  ten  or  fifteen  men  got  together  in 
a  saloon  in  Marion,  and  agreed  to  call  a  pub- 
lic meeting  to  pass  ordinances  of  secession. 
They  appointed  a  committee  on  resolutions, 
who  were  to  report  at  the  public  meeting. 
The  call  was  made  for  a  meeting  to  be  held 
in  the  Court  House,  on  Monday,  April  15th, 
1861,  to  provide  for  the  "public  safety."  A 
large  crowd  came  in,  and  the  meeting  was 
called  to  order,  and  James  D.  "Manier  elected 
President.  He  then  appointed  G.  W-  God- 
dard,  James  M.  Washburn,  Henry  C.  Hoop- 
er, John  M.  Cunningham,  and  Wm.  R.  Scur- 
lock,  a  committee  to  draft  resolution  of  se- 
cession. The  saloon  committee  had  the  reso- 
lutions already  prepared,  and  they  were  re- 
ported and  passed  with  but  one  dissenting 
voice,  and  that  was  A.  T.  Benson,  and  were 
as  follows: 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  citizens  of  Wil- 
liamson county,  firmly  believing,  from  the 
distracted  condition  of  our  country,  the  same 
being  brought  about  by  the  elevation  to  pow- 
er of  a  strictly  sectional  party,  the  coercive 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOI&       255 

policy  of  which  toward  the  seceded  States 
will  drive  all  the  border  Slave  States  from 
the  Federal  Union,  and  cause  them  to  join 
the  Southern  Confederacy. 

Resolved,  That,  in  that  event,  the  inter- 
est of  the  citizens  of  Southern  Illinois  im- 
peratively demands  at  their  hands  a  division 
of  the  State.  We  hereby  pledge  ourselves 
to  use  all  means  in  our  power  to  effect  the 
same,  and  attach  ourselves  to  the  Southern 
Confederacy. 

Resolved,  That,  in  our  opinion,  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  present  administration  to  with- 
draw all  the  troops  of  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment that  may  be  stationed  in  Southern 
forts,  and  acknowledge  the  independence  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  believing  that 
such  a  course  would  be  calculated  to  restore 
peace  and  harmony  to  our  distracted  coun- 
try. 

Resolved,  That  in  view  of  the  fact  that 
it  is  probable  that  the  present  Governor  of 
the  State  of  Illinois  will  call  upon  the  citi- 
zens of  the  same  to  take  up  arms  for  tlie 
purpose  of  subjugating  the  people  of  the 
South,  we  hereby  enter  our  protest  against 
such  a  course,  and,  as  loyal  citizens,  will  re- 
fuse, frown  down  and  forever  oppose  the 
same. 


256  THE  HISTORY  OF 

These  resolutions  were  written  by  Henry 
C.  Hooper.  The  Repu'bHcans  of  this  county 
used  to  accuse  the  Hon.  W.  J.  Allen  of  draft- 
ing them,  on  account  of  the  peculiar  phrase- 
ology; but  in  this  they  were  wrong.  The 
news  of  this  meeting  spread  rapidly,  and  by 
the  next  morning  it  had  reached  Carbondale, 
and  had  been  telegraphed  to  Gen-  Prentiss, 
at  Cairo.  The  people  of  Carbondale,  seeing 
the  trouble  our  people  were  bringing  on 
themselves,  sent  J.  M.  Campbell  up  to  Ma- 
rion on.  the  16th  of  April,  to  tell  the  people 
to  revoke  the  resolutions,  lie  said  they 
must  be  repealed,  or  war  would  be  brought 
on  our  soil  and  at  our  own  doors.  The  peo- 
ple were  exicted  badly.  A  meeting  was  call- 
ed to  repeal  the  resolutions,  and  to  meet  in- 
stanter,  'but  not  by  the  same  men  v/ho  were 
in  the  meeting  of  the  15th.  W.  J.  Allen  was 
called  in  to  address  the  meeting,  which  he 
did  at  some  length-  He  said  he  was  for  re- 
pealing the  resolutions,  and  that  others  could 
do  as  they  pleased,  but  as  for  him  and  his 
house,  they  would  stand  still  and  see  the  sal- 
vation of  the  Lord. 

The  resolutions  were  repealed,  and  A.  T. 
Benson  appointed  a  committee  of  one  to 
convey  a  copy  of  the  proceeding  to  Gen. 
Prentiss.  When  he  arrived  at  Cairo  he 
found  Gen.  Prentiss  reading  the  resolutions. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        257 

He  gave  him  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
meeting  of  the  16th,  and  Prentiss  said,  "i 
am  glad  to  see  them.  The  resolutions  of  se- 
cession would  have  caused  your  folks 
trouble ;  but  I  hope  all   will  be  right." 

John  A.  Logan  was  not  in  the  county 
when  these  meetings  were  held,  and  had  not 
been  for  several  days-  This  is  a  fact  well 
known  in  this  county.  But  it  was  charged 
against  Gen.  Logan  in  1866,  that  he  was 
present  at,  and  aided  in,  the  meeting  of  the 
15th,  and  endorsed  the  resolutions.  This 
charge  was  made  by  some  unprincipled  man 
outside  of  Williamson  county.  No  such 
charge  was  ever  made  in  this  county, 
neither  by  Democrats  nor  Republicans; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  when  the  charge  was 
made  against  Gen.  Logan,  nine  of  his  polit- 
ical enemies,  all  prominent  men,  who  were 
conspicuous  at  that  meeting,  volunteered 
their  testimony  against  the  truth  of  the 
charge ;  and  one  of  them  was  James  D.  Ma- 
nier,  the  President.  The  Democrats  of  this 
county  knew  that  the  charge  against  him 
was  false,  and  they  went  to  his  rescue,  and 
published  to  the  world  the  evidence  of  its 
falsity.  These  men  did  not  want  to  break 
Gen.  Logan  down  by  withholding  truth  or 
circulating  falsehoods  on  him.  It  would  not 
be  an  exhibition  of  merit  in  them,  or  hon- 
-FI7 


258  THE  HISTORY  OP 

orable  action.  Those  men  who  held  the 
meeting  of  the  15th,  contended  that  the 
meeting  of  the  16th  had  no  right  to  repeal 
the  resolutions,  and  that  they  were  not  re- 
pealed, and  that  the  people  must  organize. 
So,  a  meeting  was  called  to  meet  on  the  27th 
of  April,  pursuant  to  the  one  of  the  15th. 
The  meeting  was  called  to  order,  and  a 
motion  made  to  "seize  the  money  in  the 
hands  of  the  Sheriff  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  arming  and  equipping  soldiers  for  the 
Southern  Army."  The  fever  for  organizing 
into  military  companies  had  cooled  off,  so 
that  this  moiion  was  lost,  and  the  meeting 
broke  up  in  a  row.  John  A.  Logan,  who 
had  come  home,  told  the  participants  in 
these  meetings  that  "the  resolutions  were 
treason,  and  they  would  all  be  hung,"  and 
they  got  scared  and  sent  men  out  in  the 
country  to  tear  down  the  "Notices  to  Or- 
ganize," which  had  been  stuck  up.  But  ex- 
citement continued  to  increase,  and  party 
feeling  to  deepen,  and  leading  Democrats  be- 
gan to  look  upon  Logan  with  suspicion,  and 
accuse  him  of  being  a  "turn-coat."  In  de- 
fense of  himself  he  said  that  he  would  suf- 
fer his  tongue  to  cleave  to  the  roof  of  his 
mouth,  and  his  right  arm  to  wither  and  fall 
palsied  by  his  side,  before  he  would  take  up 
arms  against  his  Southern  brethren,  unless 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.     259 

it  was  to  sustain  the  Government;  and  that 
if  the  war  was  prosecuted  solely  for  the  pur- 
pose of  freeing  negroes,  he  would  not  ground 
his  arms,  but  would  turn  and  shoot  them 
North.  Logan  at  this  time  was  against  the 
Abolitionists,  but  this  opposition  was  lost  in 
his  terrible  opposition  to  treason  and  trai- 
tors. 

Gen.  Prentiss  had  dropped  off  a  com- 
pany of  men  at  Big  Muddy  bridge  as  he  was 
going  to  Cairo;  this  was  intolerable  to  our 
people;  the  whole  country  was  In  a  flame. 
Thorndike  Brooks  and  Harvey  Hays  raised 
the  whoop  in  Marion;  runners  were  sent 
out  all  over  the  county  to  tell  the  people  to 
come  into  town  next  morning  with  their 
guns.  Next  morning  a  great  many  people 
came  into  town  with  guns,  anxious  to  know 
what  was  wanted  with  them,  when  they  were 
told  that  "the  men  at  the  bridge  must  be 
whipped  away."  Most  of  them  turned  and 
went  home.  Some  objected,  and  said  they 
had  no  guns,  and  that  the  soldiers  had  good 
guns,  but  some  few  went  on  to  Carbondale, 
and  others  tried  to  get  them  not  to  go.  At 
Carbondale,  they  found  a  noisy  crowd  as- 
sembled for  the  same  purpose.  Soon  after 
they  met  they  sent  Isaiah  Harris  up  to  the 
bridge,  which  was  four  miles  north  of  Car- 
bondale, to  spy  around.    When  he    got    in 


260  THE  HISTORY  OP 

sight  of  the  soldiers  he  saw  a  cannon,  and 
returned  and  told  them  that  they  could  not 
whip  the  soldiers.  News  of  tnese  proceed- 
ings having  reached  Gen.  Prentiss  at  Cairo, 
an  hour  before,  he  sent  up  another  company, 
with  more  cannon.  The  train  stopped  at 
Carbondale,  when  the  crowd  was  at  its  high- 
est and  most  clamorous  condition.  After 
staying  there  awhile,  she  pulled  on  up  to  the 
bridge.  At  this  crisis,  Gov.  Dougherty,  W. 
Hecker,  of  Cairo  and  Gen.  I.  N.  Hannie 
made  speeches  to  the  people,  and  told  them 
to  stand  by  the  Union.  Gov.  Dougherty 
said,  "that  the  speeches  and  guns  persuaded 
the  people  not  to  attack  the  bridge."  The 
people  of  Marion  were  standing  listening 
for  a  bloody  battle,  but  they  were  disappoint- 
ed. A  few  straggling  crowds  came  back 
from  Carbondale,  cursing  and  frothing  like 
wild  men.  Wm-  Grain  swore  ?ie  could  have 
taken  his  boys  and  cleaned  out  the  soldiers, 
and  Brooks  and  Wheeler  called  the  people 
cowards  and  slaves. 

In  two  or  three  days  after  the  Muddy 
bridge  raid,  which  was  about  the  30th  of 
April,  John  A.  Logan,  George  W.  Goddard, 
John  H.  White  and  John  M.  Cunningham, 
neither  of  whom  was  in  the  raid,  met  in  se- 
cret caucus  in  White's  office,  and  they  sol- 
emnly pledged  each  other  their  honor  that 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.        261 

they  would  stand  by  the  Union.  They  agreed 
that  Logan  should  go  on  to  Congress,  and 
after  he  returned  home  they  would  raise  a 
regiment  of  Union  soldiers,  of  which  he  was 
to  be  Colonel,  John  H.  White,  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  and  Goddard  was  to  be  Captain; 
and  White  the  County  Clerk,  were  both  to 
appoint  Cunningham  deputy  to  run  the  of- 
fices, and  he  was  to  be  for  the  Union.  This 
agreement  was  faithfully  carried  out  'by  all 
parties  concerned ;  but  Cunningham  continu- 
ed to  sympathize  strongly  with  the  South. 

In  a  few  days  after  the  meeting,  some 
one  reported  having  seen  eighteen  soldiers 
in  the  tall  grass  near  town.  They  raised  a 
general  uproar.  Nobody  knew  what  to  do 
to  save  the  town.  Finally  John  H.  White 
told  the  people  that  there  was  but  one  sal- 
vation, and  that  was  to  hoist  the  flag.  In 
a  few  minutes  the  Star-Spangled  Banner 
was  seen  waving  against  the  sky.  After 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  made  his  Union  speech, 
his  liberty  pole  was  cut  to  the  ground  in  Ma- 
rion, with  some  ceremony;  and  this  was  the 
first  time  a  flag  had  been  displayed.  As 
soon  as  the  excitement  subsided,  the  flag 
was  taken  down.  There  never  was  but  one 
rebel  flag  displayed  publicly  in  this  county, 
and  that  was  about  the  first  of  June,  1861, 


262  THE  HISTORY  OP 

at  one  of  Charley  Goodall's  barbecues,  four 
miles  east  of  Marion. 

On  the  24th  day  of  May,  1861,  Colonel 
Brooks  and  Harvey  Hayes,  despairing  of 
raising  an  army  here,  or  organizing  the 
county,  formed  the  design  of  raising  a  com- 
pany and  going  South.  They  sent  a  man  to 
Carbondale  to  recruit,  and  they  commenced 
at  home.  By  the  next  evening  they  had 
about  thirty  names  on  their  list,  and  had 
given  orders  for  them  to  rendezvous  at  the 
"Delaware  Crossing,"  on  the  Saline,  six 
miles  south  of  Marion.  They  all  got  to  the 
place  about  two  hours  by  sun,  on  the  25th  of 
May,  1861,  and  the  few  that  came  from 
Carbondale  swelled  the  number  to  thirty- 
five  men,  mostly  under  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  years.  They  started  on  to  Paducah 
on  foot,  and  walked  all  night;  and  next 
day  in  the  afternoon  Robert  Kelly  went  on 
to  Linn's  Hotel  to  have  supper  prepared  for 
the  boys.  The  number  had  now  increased 
to  about  forty  men.  Their  feet  became 
sore,  and  all  of  them  lagged  behind  but  six, 
who  went  on  to  get  supper,  where  they  were 
surrounded  by  135  home-guards  and  taken 
prisoners.  A  friend  to  the  boys  got  on  his 
horse,  knowing  that  they  were  coming  into 
the  same  trap,  and  went  up  the  road  to  let 
them  know.    The  home-guards  left  a  guard 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        263 

with  the  six  boys  and  came  on  up  the  road 
to  meet  the  others  from  Marion,  but  when 
they  came  to  the  forks  of  the  road,  north  of 
Linn's  Hotel,  supposing  the  boys  had  taken 
the  one  leading  to  Brooklyn,  started  down  to 
the  river.  The  boys  went  on  until  they  came 
to  the  forks  of  the  road,  and  seeing  by  the 
tracks,  that  the  guards  had  gone  the  left 
hand,  they  went  on  rapidly  to  Linn's  Hotel, 
where  they  re-captured  their  six  compan- 
ions, and  went  on  to  the  river  opposite  Pa- 
ducah.  Here  Kelly  had  prepared  a  ferry- 
boat for  them,  but  it  had  laid  there  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  the  boilers  had  cooled  off. 
They  were  in  a  critical  condition;  but  just 
then  saw  a  steamboat,  the  "Old  Kentucky," 
rounding  up  to  Paducah  out  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Tennessee,  and  pretty  soon  they  saw  her 
heading  across  the  Ohio.  They  boarded  her, 
and  crossed  the  river.  They  went  to  May- 
field,  Kentucky,  and  joined  Company  "G," 
One  Hundred  and  Fifthteenth  Regiment  of 
Tennessee  Volunteers,  and  were  in  General 
Cheatham's  command. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  about  half  of 
them'  returned  home.  Brooks  got  to  be  a 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  is  now  a  wealthy 
merchant  in  Baltimore,  Maryland.  It  has 
been  repeatedly  charged  on  John  A.  Logan, 
that  he  assisted  in  raising  the  Company  of 


264  THE  HISTORY  OP 

men  to  go  South.  This  is  not  true.  He  was 
not  in  the  county  at  the  time,  and  neither  he, 
nor  W-  J.  Allen  had  anything  to  do  with  their 
going  South.  They  were  neither  of  them 
consulted,  or  gave  any  encouragement  to  the 
enterprise.  In  fact,  no  leading  man  in  the 
county  knew  anything  about  it  until  they 
were  gone. 

In  1866,  a  man  by  the  name  of  John 
Wheatley  filed  an  affidavit  in  Cairo,  in 
which  he  said  that  he  was  personally  advised 
to  join  this  company  by  John  A.  Logan,  and 
that  he  left  Williamson  county  with  the  com- 
pany, and  that  John  A.  Logan  went  with 
them  as  far  as  Paducah,  and  left  them, 
promising  to  return  to  them.  And  that  the 
next  time  he  saw  Logan  was  at  Belmont, 
where  he  chased  him  so  closely  that  Logan 
dismounted,  and  he  got  his  horse.  This  man 
Wheatley  simply  swore  falsely.  He  was  not 
a  citizen  of  this  county,  and  never  has  been, 
and  he  is  unknown  to  our  people.  There  is 
not  a  soldier  of  that  company  In  this  county 
but  will  state  that  Wheatley  swore  fasely 
in  every  respect  concerning  Logan. 

W.  M.  Davis,  one  of  the  soldiers  in  this 
company,  and  one  who  was  badly  wounded 
at  Shiloh,  also  filed  an  affidavit  that  he 
joined  this  company  under  the  (advice)  in- 
fluence of  John  A.  Logan.    Mr.  Davis    has 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      265 

been  a  citizen  of  this  county  for  twenty-one 
years,  and  is  now  the  City  Marshal  of  the 
city  of  Marion.  When  he  made  this  affi- 
davit he  Hved  in  Equality,  Illinois.  He  says 
he  did  not  think  of  going  into  the  Confed- 
erate Army  until  a  few  days  before  he  start- 
ed. Logan  was  not  here  at  that  time,  and  of 
course  could  not  advise  him  to  go.  William 
M.  Davis  is  thirty-five  years  old  and  a  very 
sober,  honest,  and  respectable,  and  in  every 
way  an  exemplary  and  trustworthy  citizen. 
He  is  now  at  this  moment  sitting  'by  my  side 
and  dictating  to  me  what  to  write,  and  every 
word  concerning  his  affidavit  in  this  book 
is  written  by  his  consent  and  dictation.  He 
says  that  they  got  his  affidavit  wrong,  in 
this,  that  tney  put  into  it  the  word  "advice-" 
He  says  that  he  did  not  swear  nor  mean  that 
John  A.  Logan  ever  advised  him,  or  any 
other  man,  to  go  into  the  Southern  Army, 
and  he  says  that  Logan  never  did  speak  to 
him  on  that  subject  in  his  life,  or  to  any  oth- 
er man  in  his  presence  or  hearing.  He  says 
that  what  he  meant  was  this,  that  Logan 
being  a  man  of  great  influence  in  this  coun- 
ty, and  he  believed  that  his  sympathy  was 
with  the  South,  and  in  this  way  Logan  in- 
fluenced him  to  go  South.  Or,  in  other 
words,  he  believed  so  strongly  at  that  time 
that  Logan's  sympathy  was  with  the  South 


266  THE  HISTORY  OP 

that  the  supposed  political  position  thus  at- 
tributed to  him  by  this  belief,  caused  Logan's 
influence  to  effect  him  in  such  a  manner 
that  in  going  South  to  fight,  he  felt  that  he 
had,  as  a  warrant  to  back  his  actions,  the 
connivance  and  friendship  of  Logan,  and 
that  this  is  all  he  knows  about  Logan's  dis- 
loyalty. Mr.  Davis  says  that  Wheatley  got 
with  the  company  at  Mayfield,  Kentucky, 
and  was  not  from  this  county,  and  that  he 
swore  falsely  in  every  particular  concerning 
Logan.  He  is  a  strong  Democrat,  but  a  man 
of  discretion  and  firmness,  and  stands  up 
for  what  he  believes  to  be  right  in  principle 
and  conduct. 

Col.  Brooks  wrote  a  letter  to  Gen.  Logan 
in  which  he  said  that  Logan  had  nothing  to 
do  with  the  recruiting  or  sending  off  of  any 
of  his  men.  Hibert  B.  Cunningham,  after- 
ward captain  of  the  company,  A.  H.  Morgan, 
W.  R.  Tinker  and  Joshua  Lowe,  all  soldiers 
in  that  company  in  1866,  certified  that  Lo- 
gan had  nothing  to  do  directly  or  indirectly 
with  any  of  the  men  going  South.  Also 
John  M.  Cunningham,  R.  J.  Fully,  G.  C. 
Campbell,  George  W-  Lowe,  B.  F.  Lowe, 
William  Cook  and  D.  L.  Fully,  all  at  that 
time  prominent  citizens  of  Marion,  certified 
that  they  were  cognizant  of  all  the  circum- 
stances attending  the  recruiting  and  sending 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       267 

of  the  soldiers  south  to  join  the  Confederate 
Army,  and  that  Logan  had  nothing  to  do 
with  it,  or  had  any  knowledge  of  it. 

James  D.  Pully  and  M.  C.  Campbell  went 
to  Paducah  the  day  before  the  soldiers  left 
here,  and  it  was  charged  that  they  were  on 
the  "Old  Kentucky"  when  she  crossed  the 
Ohio.  This  charge  got  circulated,  and  when 
Col.  Pully,  near  a  month  afterwards,  started 
to  Springfield  as  a  grand  juror,  he  was  ar- 
rested at  Carbondale  on  this  charge  and 
taken  to  Springfield.  Capt-  A.  P.  Cordor, 
who  then  lived  at  Carbondale,  became  alarm- 
ed, and  came  up  to  Marion,  where  he  ar- 
rived late  in  the  afternoon.  He  told  the 
people  about  Pully's  arrest  and  insinuated 
that  a  company  was  coming  up  from  Muddy 
Bridge  that  night  after  Logan  and  Allen. 
This  produced  the  greatest  excitement;  the 
people  trembled  at  the  dreadful  crisis;  they 
commenced  getting  drunk,  and  by  a  half 
hour  by  sun  there  were  enough  drunks  to 
make  a  considerable  crowd.  Logan  took 
command,  and  ordered  them  to  report  on  the 
square  at  dark. 

About  thirty-five  reported,  and  when  in- 
quiries were  made  about  "Josh,"  (Hon.  W. 
J.  Allen,)  Logan  said,  "I  guess  he  is  at  home 
under  the  bed.  Go  and  bring  him  out.  .  .  ." 
Josh  came  out,  and  they  took  up  their  line 


268  THE  HISTORY  OF 

of  march  to  the  old  Fair  Grounds,  a  half 
mile  west  of  town,  taking  jugs  and  bottles, 
in  place  of  powder  and  guns-  When  they 
arrived  there,  Logan  gave  Capt.  G.  W.  God- 
dard  his  pistol  (the  only  firearm  in  the 
crowd,)  and  detailed  him  to  stand  guard  at 
the  mile  tree,  and  report  the  approach  of  the 
enemy.  He  was  to  fire  and  fall  back  by  the 
'best  route,  firing  all  the  while.  About  ten 
o'clock  their  whisky  gave  out,  and  the  main 
body  had  to  fall  back  to  town  for  supplies. 
After  replenishing  their  depleted  quarter- 
master, they  struck  up  a  line  of  march  for 
the  Goodall  bridge,  one  and  a  half  miles 
southeast  of  Marion,  a  locality  conspicuous 
at  that  time  for  other  reasons. 

About  eleven  o'clock  the  citizens  in  town 
sent  John  H.  White  to  Carbondale  for  a 
"compromise."  About  the  same  hour,  J.  M- 
Campbell  and  J.  M.  Prickett  started  from 
Carbondale  to  come  to  Marion,  to  let  the 
people  know  that  there  was  no  danger.  They 
met  on  the  road,  but  not  recognizing 
each  other,  did  not  speak.  Campbell  and 
Prickett  ran  into  the  picket  line  about 
twelve  o'clock,  and  were  halted  and  arrest- 
ed by  Goddard,  who,  when  he  saw  who  it 
was,  started  on  to  town  with  them.  Just 
before  this,  the  idea  got  into  the  heads  of 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.     269 

the  men  at  the  'bridge  that  they  had  not  re- 
lieved Goddard.  So,  R.  M.  Allen  was  detain- 
ed as  a  courier — on  account  of  the  acute- 
ness  of  his  hearing — to  go  and  call  in  the 
pickets.  He  was  on  horseback,  going  on  the 
jump,  when  he  saw  Goddard  and  his  friends 
in  the  road.  Thinking  that  it  was  the 
enemy,  he  went  back  to  the  bridge  under  the 
lash,  and  reported  the  enemy  nearby.  A 
scene  of  wildest  consternation  prevailed.  By 
this  time  they  had  got  two  old  shot-guns. 
Logan  made  a  desperate  effort  to  rally  his 
men.  Josh  commanded  one  wing,  and 
rallied  two.  All  that  were  sober  enough  fell 
into  line,  and  the  rest  would  have  done  so  if 
they  could.  It  commenced  raining  about 
dark  that  night,  and  rained  all  night  a  steady 
rain.  Logan  formed  his  line,  composed  of 
about  sixty  men,  and  Josh  formed  his  pa- 
rallel, composed  of  about  sixty  men,  armed 
with  clubs.  The  rest  of  the  men  were  lying 
around  by  logs  and  stumps,  unable  to  muster 
Logan  told  Josh  not  to  form  his  men  parel- 
lel  to  his,  as  they  would  shoot  into  each  other 
that  way ;  but  Josh  insisted  that  his  line  was 
formed  right.  A  dispute  came  up,  and  ended 
in  a  regular  pow-wow,  and  almost  a  great 
battle.  Josh  withdrew  his  forces  and  struck 
camp  across  the  creek ;  but  no  enemy  came. 
The  storm-cloud  was  piling  its  temples  of 


270  THE  HISTORY  OP 

blackness  over  the  dark  hill.  The  pelting  of 
the  rain  kept  step  with  the  music  of  the  rip- 
pling stream  in  the  glen  below.  The  men 
were  lying  around,  fast  asleep,  covered  with 
mud,  on  beds  of  water.  In  this  condition 
they  were  found  by  R.  J.  Pully,  who  was  sent 
down  by  Goddard  to  let  them  know  that  no 
enemy  was  coming.  Josh  and  his  command 
left  the  field  and  went  home.  Logan  re- 
treated in  good  order  to  Marion  with  his 
squad-  The  rear  was  brought  up  next  morn- 
ing by  Clemison,  who  went  to  old  Negro 
Sam's  and  got  breakfast.  Thus  was  this 
splendid  army  cut  to  pieces  and  routed  with- 
out the  loss  of  a  single  man.  Next  day,  oth- 
ers heard  this  tale  of  luxury,  decided  to  have 
another  meeting  that  night,  which  they  did. 
About  one  hundred  of  them  met  on  the  creek, 
south  of  town,  but  there  were  too  many 
smart  men  in  the  crowd,  and  they  broke  up 
in  a  row. 

In  a  few  days  Logan  went  to  Benton,  and 
the  county  was  again  thrown  into  excite- 
ment by  John  A.  McClernand  sending  a  dis- 
patch to  John  M.  Cunningham,  asking  as- 
sistance in  raising  a  brigade  of  soldiers. 
This  was  the  first  time  that  our  folks  knew 
that  they  would  be  called  upon  for  troops. 
Cunningham  consulted  with  his  friends, 
and  decided  to  not  assist. 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.      271 

The  first  troops  that  were  ever  in  this 
county  were  those  of  Col.  Hobb's  Third  Illi- 
nois regiment  of  cavalry.  They  passed 
through  the  county  from  Bloomington,  on 
their  way  to  Paducah.  They  were  a  fine- 
looking  set  of  men,  and  conducted  them- 
selves very  gentlemanly.  They  camped  at 
the  Delaware  Crossing.  Gen.  Logan  was 
called  to  meet  at  Congress  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1861,  and  after  the  great  battle  of  Bull's 
Run,  in  which  he  took  part,  returned  home 
in  the  latter  part  of  August,  and  on  the  3rd 
day  of  September,  made  his  first  speech  in 
this  county  in  raising  his  regiment;  and  on 
the  13th  day  of  September  the  Thirty-first 
Illinois  Volunteers  was  organized.  Men  kept 
going  from  this  county  into  the  regiment, 
and  party  feelings  kept  getting  stronger,  un- 
til a  fev/  words  was  sufficient  to  create  dis- 
turbances. Republicans  were  very  coolly 
received  here  in  the  latter  part  of  1861. 
P.  H.  Lang,  the  postmaster  of  Marion,  anu  a 
Republican,  was  threatened,  and  he  had  to 
move  the  post-office  to  Bainbridge,  where 
he  kept  it  about  six  weeks.  This  was  so  in- 
convenient to  the  people  of  Marion  that  they 
offered  protection  to  Lang  ^'f  he  would  bring 
the  office  back.  He  did  so,  and  the  promise 
was  always  faithfully  kept. 


272  THE  HISTORY  OP 

Political  poison  permeated  nearly  every 
mind  and  place.  It  got  into  the  Church, 
and  even  raised  its  head  in  the  sacred  Tem- 
ple of  Justice. 

At  the  June  term  of  our  Circuit  Court, 
1862,  out  of  forty-seven  jurors,  only  two 
were  Republicans,  and  about  the  proportion 
in  1863-4.  And  when  the  Republicans  car- 
ried the  county,  in  1865,  this  feeling  was 
carried  as  far  on  the  other  side.    Again,  in 

1869,  when  the  Democrats  carried  the  coun- 
ty, this  feeling  had  not  entirely  died  out, 
although  all  honest  men  had  long  been  dis- 
gusted with  ft,  and  ashamed  of  it.     Since 

1870,  no  lawyer  asks  what  a  juror's  politics 
are. 

On  or  about  the  14th  day  of  August, 
1862,  A.  D.  Duff,  W.  J.  Allen,  A.  P.  Corder, 
John  Clemison  and  A.  C.  Nelson  were  all 
arrested  by  United  States  officers,  and 
taken  to  Cairo,  where  they  were  kept  about 
three  weeks  and  then  taken  to  Washington, 
and  kept  in  the  Old  Capitol  prison  for  nearly 
three  months,  and  then  turned  loose  without 
trial.  These  parties  were  charged  with 
making  rebel  speeches ;  with  belonging  to  the 
Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle,  and  stirring  up 
sedition  and  treason.  They  claimed  that 
they  had  committed  no  overt  act  against 
the  Government,  or  any  other  crime,    and 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.  273 
that  while  they  thought  the  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Circle  was  a  good  and  loyal  society, 
they  did  not  'belong  to  it.  They  denied  mak- 
ing rebel  speeches,  but  insisted  that  they 
were  for  peace.  They  were  arrested  on  af- 
fidavits filed  in  the  Provost  Marshal's  of- 
fices, in  Cairo,  charging  them  with  these  of- 
fenses, and  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  being 
suspended  by  the  President,  of  course  they 
could  not  get  a  trial,  although  they  repeated- 
ly demanded  one.  After  their  release.  Judge 
Duff  published  on  the  15th  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1862,  an  address  to  the  people  of  South 
Illinois,  "Relative  to  his  arrest  by  the  Abo- 
lition Despotism."  It  was  a  caustic  and 
scathing  letter.  A  regular  diabolical  slayer 
of  marshals,  detectives,  police,  etc.  He 
claimed  that  they  were  arrested  in  order 
that  the  Republicans  could  carry  the  fall 
election.  Their  arrests  had  'but  little  effect 
on  the  county.  The  people  grew  more  tur- 
bulent, and  personal  difficulties  became 
more  frequent.  At  this  time  the  Golden 
Circle  was  in  the  most  flourishing  condition. 
The  design  was  formed  in  this  Order  of 
raising  a  regiment  for  the  Union  Army,  for 
the  purpose  of  repelling  the  Imputation  of 
disloyalty  laid  on  some  of  its  members. 

R.  M.  Hundley  and  James  D.  Pully  went 
to  work,  in  August  and  September  1862,  and 
— F  18 


274  THE  HISTORY  OP 

raised  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Eighth 
Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers.  There  were 
some  doubts  whether  the  Governor  would  re- 
ceive the  regiment  or  not,  and  I-  M.  Lewis 
and  G.  L.  Owen,  Republicans,  and  A.  T.  Ben- 
son, Democrat,  were  sent  to  Springfield.  At 
DuQuoin,  they  fell  in  with  Dr.  Burges,  who 
went  with  them.  He  talked  principally  with 
Owen,  and  Benson  became  suspicious  that 
Owen  was  not  in  good  faith.  Burges  told 
Benson  that  the  proposed  officers  for  that 
regiment  ought  to  be  hung,  and  he  ought  to 
be  arrested,  and  he  did  not  know  but  what  it 
would  be  done.  Benson  got  scared  at  this, 
and  wanted  Lewis  to  return.  Lewis  said  he 
was  in  good  faith,  and  intended  to  go  on. 
At  Springfield,  Lewis  and  Benson  went  to 
Harmon  G.  Reynolds,  secretary  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Masons,  and  got  a  recom- 
mendation from  him  to  the  Governor.  It 
was  three  days  before  they  could  get  an  au- 
dience with  him.  When  they  did  get  a  hear- 
ing, Owen  wanted  Burges  to  do  the  talking, 
but  Benson  passed  up  his  recommendations, 
and  Yates  asked  him  what  they  wanted. 
Benson  stated  the  object  of  their  visit,  and 
their  request  was  granted,  and  they  dis- 
missed. Benson  said,  "They  were  treated 
kindly  by  the  finest-looking  man  on  earth." 
After  the  regiment  was  raised,  they  went 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        275 

into  quarters  for  a  few  days  at  the  Fair 
Grounds;  from  here  they  went  to  Spring- 
field, where  they  organized,  with  R.  M. 
Hundley  as  Colonel,  and  James  D.  Pully  as 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  They  remained  there 
about  a  month  before  they  drew  clothing, 
and  it  was  very  cold,  and  they  half  naked- 
The  Republican  press  abused  them  without 
mercy,  and  the  officers  were  looked  upon 
with  suspicion  and  contempt,  and  given  no 
chance  to  exhibit  their  loyalty.  They  were 
called  the  "Whang  Doodle  Regiment."  The 
men  became  dissatisfied,  and  soon  began  to 
desert;  but  after  they  drew  clothes,  half  of 
them  were  furloughed  home.  The  remain- 
der escorted  General  McClelland  to  Cairo. 
Those  who  had  been  furloughed  home  never 
reported  back.  A  few  of  the  remaining  pri- 
vates were  transferred  to  other  regiments, 
and  the  others  discharged.  While  at  Cairo 
George  Aikin,  the  Quartermaster  of  this 
regiment,  went  over  to  Jeff.  Thompson''^ 
army,  and  proposed  to  assist  them  in  cap- 
turing Cairo.  He  agreed  that  this  regiment 
should  all  understand  it,  and  not  fire  on 
them.  He  made  two  trips  for  this  purpose, 
and  had  a  gentleman  with  him  one  time. 
The  last  trip,  a  lieutenant  from  Thompson's 
army  came  with  him  to  view  the  situation. 
The  intention  was  for  Aikin  and  his  confed- 


276  THE  HISTORY  OP 

erate  to  post  all  the  soldiers,  and  for 
Thompson  to  send  soldiers  over  and  capture 
the  city.  Aikin  commenced  his  insidious 
works  of  informing  the  'boys  of  his  plot. 
About  the  first  man  he  told  it  to  was  Dr. 
J.  Clemison.  Clemison  went  immediately 
and  told  Colonel  Hundley  all  about  the  in- 
famous plot,  and  Hundley  indignantly  vetoed 
the  whole  thing.  This  regiment  was  com- 
posed of  as  good  material  as  any  in  the  ser- 
vice, but  they  were  badly  treated.  The 
Chaplain  said:  "That  there  were  men  in 
this  regiment  that  would  have  turned  their 
guns  against  the  Government  I  have  no 
doubt,  but  the  majority  of  them  would  have 
made  as  good  soldiers  as  lived,  under  favora- 
ble circumstances. 

In  the  spring  of  1863,  one  company  of 
the  Thirty-Fifth  Iowa  were  stationed  here 
for  a  short  time-  They  were  paroled  pris- 
oners off  military  duty,  said  to  be,  and  were 
here  to  assist  the  enrollment  officer,  but  the 
county  was  not  enrolled. 

In  July  and  August,  1863,  Major  Biers, 
with  the  third  battalion  of  the  Sixteenth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  was  camped  in  the  old  Fair 
Ground.  He  was  sent  here  to  arrest  desert- 
ers, suppress  sedition,  and  enroll  the  county. 
He  put  the  town  under  martial  law,,  with 
Capt.  Wilcot  as  Provost-Marshal,  who  sta- 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.         277 

tioned  guards  on  all  the  principal  streets. 
They  required  some  persons  to  take  the  oath 
before  leaving  town.  W.  J.  Allen  was  asked 
to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance,  or  remain  in 
town  inside  the  lines.  He  remained  in  town, 
and  part  of  the  time  with  a  guard  around  his 
residence.  He  said  he  had  taken  the  oath  in 
Congress  and  was  willing  to  do  so  again,  but 
that  to  be  forced  to  would  be  construed  in 
the  light  that  he  was  acting  so  as  to  make 
it  necessary.  The  Republicans  charged  that 
he  refused  to  swear  allegiance  to  his  county 
because  he  was  for  the  South.  Col  Hundley 
refused  to  take  the  oath  for  a  while,  but  he 
lived  outside  of  the  lines,  and  was  forced  to 
as  a  matter  of  convenience. 

The  Provost-Marshal  issued  an  order 
that  no  man  should  sell  whisky  to  the  sol- 
diers. One  day  one  of  them  got  drunk,  and 
a  man  by  the  name  of  McDaniel  was  caught 
running  the  guard  line  with  a  jug.  When 
captured,  he  said  he  got  the  whisky  at  Lowe's 
saloon.  Wilcot  ordered  all  Lowe's  whisky 
to  be  thrown  into  the  streets,  and  several 
barrels  of  that  popular  article  were  wasted. 
At  the  August  Term,  1863,  of  the  Circuit 
Court,  George  Aikin,  then  foreman  of  the 
Grand  Jury,  swore  before  that  body  that 
Biers  and  some  of  his  men  came  to  his  house 
in  the  day-time,  took  him  out  and  whipped 


278  THE  HISTORY  OP 

him,  and  then  tied  his  hands  behind  him  to  a 
long  pole,  and  then  left  him  in  a  grove  of 
thick  saplings.  Upon  this  evidence  Biers 
was  indicted,  and  a  bench  warrant  issued  for 
his  arrest,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  Sheriff 
Spencer,  who  executed  it  by  his  deputy, 
Alex.  Manier,  without  any  resistance.  But 
Biers'  men  soon  heard  of  his  arrest,  and  they 
formed  on  the  Square,  and  told  the  Sheriff 
that  he  must  release  Biers.  Spencer  said 
he  could  not  do  that,  as  he  had  a  warrant, 
but  that  he  could  not  fight  a  regiment.  Biers 
then  walked  out.  The  soldiers  had  just 
started  to  leave  the  county,  when  the  Grand 
Jury  adjourned.  Biers  arrested  Aikin, 
who,  when  he  started  off,  halloed  out  to  the 
people,  "Now  you  see  where  your  liberty 
has  gone  to."  They  took  him  to  Springfield, 
where  he  remained  about  a  month,  then 
came  home  and  got  a  good  start,  and  ran 
away.  He  was  a  very  mean  man.  I  have 
elsewhere  spoken  of  the  "Aiken  gang,"  of 
which  he  was  the  leader.  Aiken  might  have 
got  whipped  but  that  United  States  soldiers 
did  it  is  preposterous.  While  Wilcot  was  in 
town  he  made  an  order  that  no  man  but  a 
soldiers  should  wear  brass  buttons  on  their 
clothes.  This  was  a  tag  at  the  soldiers  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Eighth,  who 
were  still  wearing  their  uniforms.    They  cut 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.       279 

the  buttons  off  some  of  their  coats-  A  good 
many  soldiers  from  this  county  went  into 
the  Ninth,  Sixtieth,  one  Hundred  and  Ten- 
th Illinois  Infantry,  and  a  company  was 
raised  to  guard  Muddy  Bridge,  which  serv- 
ed three  months  in  1862 ;  and  in  1863  a  com- 
pany of  hundred  days'  men  were  raised 
in  this  county. 

From  first  to  last,  this  county  furnish- 
ed about  two  thousand  soldiers,  a  larger  per 
cent  than  any  other  county  in  the  state. 

A  majority  of  our  people  were  true  to 
the  Government,  true  to  her  traditions,  and 
taught  the  world  that  they  were  liberal  of 
their  blood  when  the  flag  of  their  country 
was  assailed.  The  campaign  of  1865  was 
the  hottest  one  ever  known  in  this  county. 
The  soldiers  had  returned  and  swelled  the 
strength  of  the  Republican  party  up  to  a 
majority.  The  city,  which  had  witnessed 
all  the  horrors  of  1863-4,  was  now  again  the 
constant  scenes  of  fights,  riots  and  routs. 
The  Republican  politicians  walked  all  over 
the  county  and  the  Democrats  walked  with 
equal  vigor.  It  was  during  this  canvass  that 
Capt.  Cunningham  is  reported  to  have  said 
to  a  friend,  "Come  up  and  help  me,  they  are 
trying  to  take  my  office  away  from  me."  The 
election  came  off,  and  the  Republicans  were 
successful.    They  attributed  their  success  to 


280  THE  HISTORY  OF 

the  return  of  the  soldiery,  and  the  Demo- 
crats attributed  their  defeat  to  the  "boihng 
of  sorghum."  For  two  or  three  days  after  the 
election,  the  Republicans  made  themselves 
scarce  on  the  streets.  One  was  seen  run- 
ing  through  the  field  and  when  accosted  by  a 
friend,  told  him  not  to  go  up  town,  for  the 
whole  Democratic  party  were  on  a  drunk.  It 
was  the  first  time  that  the  county  had  ever 
gone  Republican,  and  the  Democrats  were 
concerned  about  it.  Some  of  them  said  it 
was  ruined;  others  threatened  to  leave  it, 
while  one  insisted  that  they  had  just  as  well 
turn  the  paupers  out  to  feed  on  wild  grapes. 
The  commissions  of  the  new  County 
Court  were  mislaid,  somehow,  so  that  they 
were  in  danger  of  not  getting  them  in  time. 
They  charged  the  Democrats  of  suppressing 
them  in  the  post  office,  so  that  the  old  Court 
would  get  to  meet  once  more,  and  fix  the  sal- 
aries. Jesse  Bishop  went  to  Springfield  to 
get  the  commissions,  and  he  was  told  that 
the  commissions  had  been  sent  long  ago.  He 
got  certified  copies  and  returned.  On  the 
day  that  Court  was  to  meet,  in  stepped  the 
new  members  with  their  certified  copies, 
and  demanded  the  offices.  They  were  giv- 
en up  without  a  word,  and  the  original  com- 
missions soon  produced.  With  the  exception 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILUNOIS.       281 

of  this,  there  has  been  but  one  charge  of 
fraud  in  the  elections  of  this  county.  That 
was  in  1864.  The  Republicans  accused  the 
Democrats  of  stuffing  the  ballot  box  in  Lake 
Creek  Precinct;  but  I  know  nothing  of  the 
truth  of  the  charge.  At  the  June  Term  of 
the  County  Court,  1864,  R.  M.  Hundley  and 
Arthur  Boyle  contracted  to  build  the  jail  for 
the  sum  of  $9,000,  which  they  built,  and 
Lodge  and  Spencer  painted  it,  in  1865,  for 
$350. 

The  campaign  of  1868  was  carried  on 
grandly  in  this  county,  by  both  parties. 
Reason  was  taking  the  place  of  violence,  and 
the  politicians  got  down  to  hard  work.  The 
county  again  went  Repubhcan  Since  then 
it  has  been  very  near  evenly  divided.  Peo- 
ple have  laid  aside  their  prejudices  to  a 
great  extent,  and  the  elections  have  been  con- 
ducted as  becomes  freemen.  No  man  has 
been  whipped  for  opinion's  sake.  Sympa- 
thetic feelings  have  sprung  up  among  our 
people.  There  is  no  social  or  religious  os- 
tracism on  account  of  politics,  but  all  work 
together  harmoniously  for  the  common  good. 

The  campaign  of  1876,  in  this  county, 
was  one  of  a  vast  scene  of  peace  and  friend- 
ship. The  election,  though  strongly  contest- 
ed passed  off  without  a  single  ripple  of 
discord  to  ruffle  the  political  sea. 


282  THE  HISTORY  OP 

The  defaulters  in  this  county  have  been 
as  follows: 

The  first  one  was  R.  R.  Hendrickson, 
Sheriff,  in  1862,  to  the  amount  of  $1,643.85 ; 
he  paid  most  of  it  himself,  and  the  rest  was 
collected  on  his  bond.  In  1864,  W.  R.  Scur- 
lock,  County  Superintendent,  defaulted  in 
the  sum  of  $750,  which  was  paid  by  his 
bondsmen.  James  Cheneworth,  County 
Treasurer  in  1863,  was  a  defaulter  to  a  less 
amount,  which  was  collected  by  suit  on  his 
bond.  In  1875,  J.  D.  F.  Jennings  was  de- 
faulter, as  State's  Attorney,  of  about  $900. 
Suit  is  now  pending  on  his  bond.  These 
were  Democrats.  In  1872,  A.  N.  Owen, 
Sheriff,  and  a  Republican,  was  defaulter  in 
the  sum  of  $5,000.  All  the  county  and  school 
part  he  paid  up,  but  suit  is  now  pending  on 
his  bond  for  the  State  tax,  or  part  of  it. 

The  county  has  never  adopted  township 
organization,  but  has  twice  voted  on  the 
question.  Once  on  the  petition  of  G.  W. 
Young  in  1873,  and  once  on  the  petition  of 
James  M.  Duncan,  in  1874.  That  is  an  im- 
provement in  county  government  that  our 
people  have  not  yet  learned,  but  the  day  is 
not  far  distant  when  it  will  be  adopted. 

The  county  has  several  times  funded 
her  non-interest  bearing  debt. 

In  1874  it  was  funded    in    fifty-dollar 


WILLIAMSON  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS.        283 

bonds,  running  for  five  years,  and  there  was 
$8,482.40  funded  at  that  time.  For  the  year 
ending  September  1876,  the  total  expendi- 
tures of  the  county  were  $31,366.79,  but  this 
was  on  account  of  the  criminal  trials.  The 
taxes  collected  for  that  year  were  about 
$17,000.  The  county  ought  to  be  run  on 
$8,000  a  year  in  peaceable  times,  exclusive 
of  the  interest  on  railroad  bonds ;  but  it  oft- 
ener  reaches  $10,000  or  $12,000. 

With  this  I  close  the  volume,  hoping  that, 
that  impartiality  and  correctness  with  which 
I  have  tried  to  write  it,  may  be  accorded  to 
me  as  a  defense  against  the  displeasure  of 
those  who  find  defects  and  omissions  in  it. 
And  if  it  serves  to  assist  any  of  the  peo- 
ple of  this  great  state  in  forming  a  correct 
estimate  of  the  character  of  our  people,  and 
interests  the  companions  of  my  youthful 
days,  I  shall  'be  satisfied. 

THE  END. 


